February 2007 Archives

"Excuse me, you're Tiffany right? Can you please stand right here, Chris will be ready for you next."

And there I stood, facing a wooden door with a white piece of paper taped to the front. It read "CHRIS ROCK".

I was at the Regency Hotel on the Upper East Side at a press junket for Rock's new movie "I Think I Love My Wife". The 18th floor was devoted to housing all the PR people, (that would be the girls wearing the really important black headsets), the stylists, the makeup artist, the press and of course the stars of the movie: Chris Rock and Kerry Washington.

As I waited to go inside, I'm not gonna lie, I was nervous. At the Super Bowl, you just had to roll with whatever happened. But at something like this, there was a lot less going on and a lot more time waiting which just leads to thinking and that very thing leads to getting nervous.

The door opened and in I walked. Immediately you notice the clutter everywhere. But its not junk, its just a lot of stuff squeezed into a small room to make all the 'magic happen'. There are already two cameras set up and behind those cameras is the crew who just waits as people revolve in and out of the room. Two promo posters hung off to either side of the carefully placed chairs. More people with headsets sat around the room. Cable cords are everywhere, lights hanging, a black curtain makes a U around the middle of the room. And in the center of all of it is Chris.

"Hey, I'm Tiffany. Nice to meet you."
Chris gave me that classic sly smile and said, "Nice to meet you too." Ha.. I thought to myself. This is going to be fine.

Part of the pressure is you only get a set amount of time. As soon as the cameraman says "GO" you have exactly four minutes to get your interview. Four minutes on a treadmill after you've run for 36 minutes is a long time. You just want it to end and it won't. Four minutes with one of America's funniest comedians is a flash in the pan. You blink and the whole thing is over.

I get the official word: "GO".
"Hey Chris.."
"Hey Tiff.."
Normally close friends call me Tiff.. but hey if he wants to call me Tiff that's cool. And for the next four minutes we talk. A little about the movie (cause we have too) and then we get into sports. Did you know he's a big Mets fan? Yup. So if you want to know more... then you'll have to tune in to Breakfast With Tiffany to see the interview!

If you are at home eating a microwavable dinner tonight, you might want to check out a special on Bob Woodruff airing on ABC. Yes I realize this is on another network. And at the risk of getting in trouble, I believe the story is worth watching regardless of the channel.

Bob Woodruff is an extremely handsome man who was making a name for himself about this time a year ago. He was given the co-anchor position as News Anchor for ABC World News Tonight. After only 20-something days on the job as the news anchor, Woodruff and his crew were hit by a roadside bomb while covering a story on Iraq. He suffered such damage that half of his skull had to be removed in order for him to survive the swelling. At first he could not recall the names of his two twin daughters or even name one single state in the U.S. The next 13 months were a long road for both he and his family. His recovery is a tale of survival, endurance and definitely to a certain degree-miraculous.

Here's where you can go to read up on what will be airing tonight:
"To Iraq and Back" explores Woodruff's treatment for traumatic brain injury at Bethesda Naval Medical Center. The center has cared for more than 2,000 injured soldiers since the start of the Iraq campaign in 2003, according to hospital officials.

Yesterday on ESPN's "Mike & MIke", NFLPA excutive director Gene Upshaw appeared to discuss a possible "three-strike" policy for player behavior. The dialogue was instigated as a result of the latest transgression by the most talented NFL player named after a video game, Pac-Man Jones of the Tennessee Titans.

In case you've been devoting too much attention to the Britney Shears debacle (Bill Maher on her 'do: "At last, the drapes match the carpet"), this Pac-Man craziness has reached a level that I for one never came close to achieving on the actual Pac-Man game. Or Ms. Pac-Man, where I'm a solid 3rd-level type.

We've got bitten bouncers. We've got an explanation, for those of us out of the loop, on what it means to "make it rain" inside a strip club (not as obscene as you might fear...or hope). We've got your obligatory rapper witness (Nelly). We've got a stripper promoter (!) who mistakenly thought that the $81,000 in the bag was for him and his girls. We've got champagne-bottle wielding groupies. We've got shots fired outside the club, Minxx, shortly before 5 a.m. We've got a bouncer who was hit in the spine and is now paralyzed from the waist down. And we have Pac-Man in the midst of all of it.

Don't believe me? Read the Las Vegas Review-Journal's account:

http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2007/Feb-22-Thu-2007/news/12741485.html

All of which leads me to the following question:

Why should the NFL have a three-strike rule? That's baseball. Why not a four-down rule? After someone commits four completely heinous, immoral, misanthropic and/or violent deeds, the league punts him. Why should the NFL be kow-towing to MLB rules?

This, of course, leads to larger concerns: How does the PBA police itself? Ten strikes and not only are you not out, but you've rolled a perfect game?

All of which is to say that I don't take a "three-strike rule" very seriously unless there's a man in a chest-protector and facemask extremely close to the proceedings. Here's my feeling on all of this: All of us are capable--in fact, more than capable, we are almost inevitable--of making a mistake. And all of us who've made that mistake just simply want a second chance.

Now, you can go from Jesus ("turn the other cheek") to Shakespeare ("The quality of mercy is not strained...") to the Jackson Five ("Ooooh, baby, give me one more chance...") to listen to the wisdom of forgiveness. And I agree. Everyone deserves a second chance.

Unless they're playing Deal or No Deal . Those greedy bastards are lucky just to even be in that position.

Anyway, as I was saying...a second chance seems fair to me. You hope that the second chance was the wake-up call that the transgressor needed--and when, like Pac-Man, you're hanging out past 5 a.m., you definitely need a wake-up call. But beyond that?

I don't understand. What does a third chance teach anyone that the second chance didn't? No matter how decent an individual you happen to be, you may as well have one moment of infamy under the three-strike rule since it's a mulligan, anyway.

"Peyton Manning, what were you thinking inviting Fred Smoot and his closest female friends for a day-long cruise on your houseboat? If you do that again....and then yet again...you're going to be in some serious trouble."

Three strikes and you're out, I'm sorry, is no deterrent, whether you're a criminal or a pro football player (or both, as some happen to be). If I were commissioner of any pro sports league, I'd introduce a "two strikes and you're out" policy.

Interesting Footnotes (or at least I think so):

--Notre Dame point guard Kyle McAlarney is enduring his school's "one strike and you're out" policy this semester. MacAlarney, a sophomore point guard, was caught with a little grass in his car and has been automatically suspended for the semester. He can return to school next semester if he wants. You may believe that punishment's too harsh, but in such a world of draconian punitive measures, I can guarantee you that strip-club bouncers are far more safe.

--During my brief stint in the Air Force I observed a "one strike and you're out" policy, and I'm not just talking about discipline. During softball games for PT (physical training), the team at-bat would have one of their own players pitch. The catch was that each batter only got one pitch to hit. If the pitch was out of the strike zone, or if the batter fouled it off, or if he swung and missed...if he or she in any way failed to put the pitch in play, he was out.

You could play an entire six-inning game in under 25 minutes. Maybe the military was on to something.

Thursday is the day to tender restricted free agents (RFAs). The two most coveted ones are Atlanta quarterback Matt Schaub and San Diego running back Michael Turner. It looks like Schaub will get the high tender according to Steve Wyche. Meanwhile, Turner is a "unique situation" according to Lee Rasizer.
Some other RFAs of note are Dolphins receiver Wes Welker, Raiders DT Tommy Kelly, Indy's TE Ben Utecht,
Saints tackle Jon Stinchcomb, Jacksonville's Bobby McRay, the Chiefs' Jared Allen.
Restricted free agents are players with three accrued seasons and an expired contract. An RFA can negotiate with other teams until April 20. If a deal is struck, the RFAs original team has a chance to match the offer and retain the player. If the original team opts not to match, the RFA goes to the team that offered him but compensation in the form of draft picks goes to the original team based on the RFA level the player is "tendered" at. A high tender, which Schaub is, would mean a matching team coughs up a first and third-round pick in the draft. A medium tender loss would be compensated with a first-round pick and a low-tender offer nets a second-rounder. The corresponding salaries for the three tender levels are: high - $2.35 million, medium - $1.85 million; low - $1.3 million.

In other news...

"At one point, a black wig flew up into the air." You've come a long way, baby.

The heat gets turned up on the Bears front office as Carol Slezak drops the race card on the table. And while this blog isn't a fan of overpaying just because everyone else does, the point about Chicago paying Brian Urlacher while franchising Lance Briggs (and letting Rosey Colvin leave altogether) does leave dots to be connected.

Daniel Graham is ready to show his wares writes Albert Breer.

Duke is about to complete a perfect regular season.
Tennessee has the nation's best player in Candace Parker.

UConn? The Huskies still have Geno.

Remember UConn? Four national championships between 2000-2004? Yeah, them.

The Huskies have been mushing under the radar this season. Two losses within the span of ten days in early January deflected all the attention away from the program that's already won more national titles this decade (four) than most schools will the entire 21st century. But UConn still has Geno Auriemma .

I'll admit, I love Geno. In the stulftifyingly diplomatic world of women's college basketball, Geno is the champion of Women's Glib. Here's what he had to say before tonight's game here in Piscataway against Rutgers about their fans and New Jersey folk in general:

"(They're) born miserable and stay miserable all their life."

I find myself more in agreement with what Geno said than his noun and modifier (their lives) were. Tonight I spent the entire game sitting right in front of a Rutgers fan who was doing her best impersonation of the Aunt Linda character from Saturday Night Live :

"Fer cryin' out loud!"
"Oh, gaaaaaaaaaaah!"
"Three seconds! Are you kidding me?"

Women's college basketball is mostly a clique of female overlords (notice, now, I didn't type "knitting circle") who might as well hold an annual early-season tournament called "Coaches Vs. Candor". Geno, on the other hand, speaks his mind. And, mostly, he is just having a laugh, anyway. He'd be dismissed as a clown if his teams didn't win so much.

So after tonight's game, when someone asked him why he hated New Jersey so much, Geno replied, "I don't hate anybody. I'm a peace-loving guy. Raised in the Sixties, you know. Peace, love and rock and roll.

"I love the Jersey shore. I love my house (the Auriemmas spend every August at their beach house in a south Jersey haven). I love Bruce Springsteen. I love The Sopranos ."

Geno gets it. It's just a game. Have fun. And if you don't have an undefeated record or the nation's best player--and UConn has often had either or both in the past--when facing your most acrimonious opponent, well then, hate is enough to fill our lives with love.

Game: College Basketball- Ohio State vs. Wisconsin

What Happened: OSU's Coach Thad Matta yelling to his players on the sideline.
Gum flys out of his mouth, onto the floor of the basketball court.
He bends down.
He picks it up.
He puts the gum back in his mouth.

Wow. That must be some really really special gum.

Lifetime tournament winnings in excess of $9.6 million and ranks 3rd on the all-time money list.

Next time someone insists you need a degree to make money in your life, please introduce them to Daniel Negreanu. I mean, earning 9.6 million under the age of 40 is kind of a big deal. The fact that he did it playing Poker in Sin City... well that's just talent. The Canadian left his country at the age of 21 and moved to Las Vegas to pursue poker. Today the "Poker Kid" is one of the best in the game.

What is the last song played on your ipod?
Redemption Songs by Bob Marley and the Wailers

What celebrity would you most like to trade places with and why?
Brad Pitt. Seriously, I think the answer to that question should be fairly obvious!

What's the one website you just can't live without?
www.alternativehockeyleague.com. It’s the address of my fantasy hockey league and I get more enjoyment out of that pool than you can imagine.

What did you do with your first paycheck?
I used it to play in a bigger tournament the very next day. I won that tournament too!

What's your favorite thing in your closet?
My collection of NHL hockey jerseys. I have over 30 of them.

For more on Daniel check this page out.

Okay, we all owe a big debt of gratitude to Hollywood for getting us through the last five weeks. I mean, the Golden Globes, the SAGs, Oscars, "Norbit". How would we have gotten through February otherwise. What? The Super Bowl?

My good friends The McCollows are very down on tonight's telecast, but I'm not judging it so harshly. My guess is that Katie just made too many chocolate chip cookies this evening, that the two of them are in the midst of a tollhouse-induced coma, and that it is affecting their judgment.

Were these Oscars better than average? Average? Below? I'd go with average. A few thoughts:

TOP FIVE MISSING MOVIE STARS

1. Jim Carrey
2. Brangelina
3. Kevin Costner
4. Matt Damon
5. Dakota Fanning (Was she just having a diva moment because Abigail was getting all the love? I cannot wait until the two of them start fighting over Jack Nicholson in about six years).

Most Inspired Moment

The Will Ferrell, Jack Black and John C. Reilly number about how comedy never is appreciated. Speaking of which, in a gripe within a gripe, just how unappreciated is Gary Cole? From Office Space to Talladega Nights , he's been fantastic. This is the same guy who portrayed the A-hole Secret Service dude in In the Line of Fire . Did he even have a seat tonight?

Ellen
Proving that there is absolutely NO EVENT huge enough to get her to wear a dress. In how many different languages tonight were children saying, "Mommy, why is that man wearing lipstick?"

She did a terrific job, though. Liked the "Dame Judi Dench" jokes. And see, you can get away with ripping on British actors if Sean Penn isn't around.

Speaking of British actors, shouldn't Hugh Laurie have won an award just for his acceptance speech prowess?

Seinfeld
Jerry being Jerry. And that's cool by me.

Okay, it's late and I'm too tired to blog any more this evening. I was able to catch some cat naps when Marconi was giving his acceptance speech in Italian and during Celine's song, but I'm still exhausted.

I know who's not getting it: Terrell Owens' publicist.

Meryl Streep may just win just for the heck of it. And cut to Helen Mirren slashing her wrists.

Oh, and Helen won. God save the Queen, so to speak.

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Reese Witherspoon on stage, without those awkward camera pans to Ryan Phillippe as my mom asks, "Who's he?"

Actually, she says that when any man who isn't Andy Williams appears onscreen.

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So, your Best Actor nominees thespian pasts:

Forest Whitaker....Fast Times
Ryan Gosling.......The New Mickey Mouse Club
Leo DiCaprio........Growing Pains
Will Smith.............Fresh Prince
Peter O'Toole.......Lawrence of Arabia

So, there you go.

Forest Whitaker seems like a sweet guy. I doubt he parties with Nicholson, but he seems like a sweet guy.

Okay, we're up to Best Director. If Martin Scorcese loses, the entire Kodak Theater should just implode on the spot.

Marty wins. Just a kid from the Bronx who grew up living in his car, or something like that. I really enjoyed The Departed . It's nowhere near as good as Goodfellas , but it's about time he won. You kind of knew this was a fait accompli when you saw Spielberg, Coppola and Lucas onstage as presenters. I think the moment Paul Greengrass saw Francis Ford Coppola, he slumped in his chair.

Actually, you kind of knew it when the sweet older woman won an Oscar for being Martin Scorcese's friend. I mean, if his receptionist wins an Oscar and then he doesn't, does Marky Mark just put the knife in his back as a mercy killing?

What do you think the title of Ellen's screenplay was? I'm going with, If These Pants Could Talk .

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I hope The Queen wins Best Picture just to continue the trend of Oscar-winning photos that none of us ever want to see again (e.g., "Out of Africa", "The English Patient", "The Last Emperor", etc.), especially not if "When Harry Met Sally" is playing on the other channel.

Here we go: I'm going with The Departed .

What's going on with Nicholson's sunglasses look?

Do you feel like I do? It's cool that Best Picture is the final award, but why have someone that none of us know give the acceptance speech? That's not why we're tuning in. Just give Jack the microphone...or Leo...or Marky Mark...or Matt Damon...it's not like the batting order on that film wasn't pretty deep. But, hey, he was the money, so he gets to talk.

That's exactly how it works with this blog, by the way. Greg Auman (GA) writes in the pithier comments, but I still get to talk more. Life's not fair. That's my Inconvenient Truth.

Wait, we can't end this Blogcast on such a down note.

I'm inviting everyone over to my apartment tomorrow and we'll re-create iconic movie poster images via silhouette. Good times, everybody!

Her dress is inspiring me to pen my own original screenplay: "Blood Rhinestone".

If there is a God, immediately after Jennifer Hudson finishes singing this song, the camera will pan to a bored Simon and an intoxicated Paula Abdul (and Randy Jackson doing whatever he does) sitting at the judges' table.

Quick: What was the name of the singing group that Beyonce used to be in? Took you a moment, didn't it (Destiny's Child). Man, whatever fork in the road Beyonce and Britney both came to in their careers, I think we know who took the right one.

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Melissa Etheridge: She wears the pants in that family.

"It's not red or blue, it is all green." Hey, I like that. Not as an environmentalist, but as a fan of primary colors. No, wait, red and blue makes purple. Yellow and blue makes green. So, never mind.

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Did you ever think you'd live to see the day when Al Gore was the big winner at the Oscars? Wait, we just checked the numbers. Turns out "My Country, My Country" is the Best Doc winner.

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Another montage. Hey, montages are usually highly enjoyable, but how many does one Oscar telecast need? Have we even gotten to the Dead Actor People montage yet?

It's 11:40 p.m. and we're only doing Best Film Editing!!!!! And, that, my good friends, is the very definition of irony.

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My friend Katie McCollow writes to tell me that she thought Ryan Seacrest was good earlier this evening. Katie wins Most Delusional American Idol Fan.

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That sweet older woman who just won an Oscar for being Martin Scorcese's friend just won the "SAT Word" of the night award, dropping in "panoply". Nice job, sweet older woman.

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And as if on cue, here comes the Dead Actor People montage. What makes me uncomfortable about this is the varying degrees of applause, as if it's a high school graduation ceremony. "Hey, her life was more valid than yours, so we're going to applaud more for her." Somewhere someone should catalog which Dead Actor People decedent (now I'm going for SAT word honors) gets the most and least amount of applause each year. I'm sure they're all laughing about it in heallven, anyway.

Honestly...is it written in the Academy charter that Randy Newman has to have a song nominated each year? And here's Celine Dion singing yet another Oscar nominee tune. Somebody wake me when Beyonce hits the stage.

Is it so difficult to write a catchy melody? I was just watching That Thing You Do yesterday, which has a lot of terrific touches to it (and Steve Zahn , as usual, just chews up every scene he's in, and I mean that in a good way...he and Jeremy Piven should co-star in a film some day along with Philip Seymour Hofman. They'll need three cameras in every scene). Anyway, the title tune is fantastic. I doubt that ever got nominated for a Best Song Oscar, but I'll check now.

(Please hold while I'm checking).

Nope. But I did just learn that the reason the pizzeria in that film is called "Villapiano's" is in tribute to former Oakland Raider linebacker Phil Villapiano. Tom Hanks, who produced the film, was an Oakland Raider fan growing up. And I'm pretty certain that Villapiano originally hailed from the same central New Jersey area that I am. I'm sure Mr. Villapiano (which, in Italian, means "piano house"?) is thrilled by that.

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Um, it's 11:05 eastern time. You think we maybe could get a meaningful award announced some time soon? Some of us have jobs we don't need to be at tomorrow. Or, if you're going to procrastinate, at least send Reese Witherspoon out on stage for a few minutes (it's time for dessert, anyway).

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I couldn't be more excited as these actors read the stage diirection notes for the screenplays. I only wish that earlier, when they did this for Best Adapted Screenplay and picked a moment from Borat , that they had described the nude wrestling scene in as graphic detail.

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Enough already with the Shadow Dancers or whatever it's called. Okay, the Snakes on a Plane silhouette was pretty cool.

Doing two minutes on the movie-going experience and sounding as if he hasn't lost a beat. Seinfeld has actually been off the air longer now than it was on the air, though who would know that seeing it in syndication three times a day?

I like that he just coined the term "soda-welded" and that he called all of the documentary nominees "incredibly depressing".

Al Gore: Was losing the 2000 election the best thing that ever happened to him?

Larry David...shown during the same segment that Seinfeld appeared in. Wonder if they'll be hanging out after the show. Maybe Wanda Sykes will join them.

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And here comes Clint Eastwood, following Gore, speaking of endangered natural resources.

And you thought From Justin to Kelly would spawn the first Oscar winner from American Idol .

Two movies I need to see tomorrow when I blow off work and blame it on the snowstorm (even though I don't even drive a car...even though I don't even commute, actually):

1. The Lives of Others
2. Dreamgirls

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This moment's Oscar thought apropos of nothing I've seen this evening:

Elizabeth Hurley needs to do another movie. Dane Cook does not.

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Babel . Is it me or does it just have that "This is such an IMPORTANT movie and we're so IMPORTANT for making it" look that Crash had just two years ago? Yes, I would rather see the next Jackass sequel. You got a problem with that?

(With apologies to Felix Unger)

So, I just looked up the origin of the term "Oscar". According to Wikipedia (and a more knowledgeable source you'd never find, no?), the origin is disputed. One account has Bette Davis dubbing the statuette after her first husband, Harmon Oscar Nelson (So why aren't we going all mad over the Harmons?). The other account is that Margaret Harrick, then the Academy's Executive Secretary, dubbed the statuette Oscar because it reminded her of her own Uncle Oscar...who often stood still and naked, with his clenched fists at his sternum (Uncle Oscar died choking on a piece of prime rib, ironically, and his last waking moments were given over to self-Heimliching. Seriously, that's true.)*

*Not true.

Oscar, by the way, is 13.5 inches tall and weighs 8.5 pounds, giving him something remarkably in common with Milton Berle .

Right now, in 2007, do you think more Americans know who James Taylor is or who Taylor Hicks is?
Yes, I'm a little disturbed by the answer, too.

Here's the good thing about going prematurely bald, by the way. Between the ages of 30 and 60 nobody makes catty remarks about how much you've aged.

.......

Wow, Melissa Etheridge sure has aged. And the odd thing is, she USED TO BE bald.

What's going on behind Melissa, by the way? Some liminal (as opposed to subliminal) environmentally conscious propaganda, it looks like. That's all fine. I'm pro-planet. It's just funny that in the last hour I've now been bombarded with messages about CO and CO2. We've turned into Carbon Nation.

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Yo, what's Leo DiCaprio doing onstage with Norv Turner? Maybe I should turn off my "Mute" button and find out (I just hit "Mute" when Melissa began singing).

Leo just announced that for the first time, Oscar has gone green. Oh, I think Oscar's been all about green for a long time.

That Sound Effects choir. I'm totally hiring them to play my wedding. Don't worry, guys...you've got a looooooooooong time to rehearse.

How do people get into this field? Hey, I just noticed that if I crumbled these potato chips in a bowl it sounds just like people walking on broken glass! Cool! I have found my life's calling.

(As opposed, of course, to the esteemed craft of blogging.)

Sound editing acceptance speech needs to be sound edited on "Mute".

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Jessica Biel: What's going on with that fuscia dress? You showed more skin on "Seventh Heaven". Even Rev. Camden would tell her to plunge the neckline a little more.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Alan Arkin...Nooooooooooooooooooooo! He was very good in what was for, at least half the film, a stiff role. It's hard to root against him, but I can't imagine anything better defining a supporting role than what Mark Wahlberg did in The Departed .

Good point an avid Oscar watcher just made to me, concerning the fact that Alan Arkin just read his acceptance speech from a hand-written note: "THEY'RE ACTORS! CAN'T THEY MEMORIZE THEIR LINES?"

Sp I'm watching these "Best Shorts" Oscars (Martin, Purvis, etc.) and I'm wondering, if you just devoted the next two years of your life to creating a short film with the idea of getting an Oscar, would you, well, fall short? I think it could be done.

(Message to my editor, Barry: Please do not consider that last paragraph as my resignation.)

By the way, the dude who won for Best Action Short gave the textbook great speech that any unknown should give. Really classy and sincere.

It's Sunday night and I'm not watching Extras . Something just feels wrong about it all.

Oooh, Four Weddings and a Funeral is on MyTV (or whatever they call that network) right now. Which reminds me, has anyone seen Kristin Scott-Thomas lately? I miss her. FWaaF is a dude chick flick, if such a thing is possible.

Looks as if Ben Kingsley's barber is working for Jack Nicholson now.

"I chose to be in both Boogie and Talladega Nights..."

Genius.

"Mark Wahlberg, I won't mess with you...you're actually kind of badass."

Inspired.

"Helen Mirren and an Oscar will be coming home with me."

That three minutes of the "Comedian Opera" was funnier than "Epic Movie".

Pan's Labyrinth , two Oscars...everybody else thus far, zero. What can I tell ya?

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Yes, this sounds catty, but Leo DiCaprio looks as if he's putting on weight to play the lead in The Last King of Scotland . Too bad they already made that movie.

Don't you just love Ellen Degeneres? She's great as the host. Someone should give her a TV show. What? Hunh?

"Spain is in the house...and, uh, Japan is representing. I think I see a few Americans as well. Of course I'm talking about the seat fillers. Nobody can fill a seat like an American."

"Half a box of Chardonnay in me...."

"Let's face it, if it weren't for gays, blacks and Jews, there wouldn't be any Oscars...or anyone named Oscar, for that matter."

Ellen Degeneres. Nobody has done more for pants since Levi Strauss.

Are you watching "Road to the Oscars" on ABC? You should be (stop wasting your time with my blog!). I LOVE LOVE LOVE this African-American interviewer in the blue tux. Please give him more air time. What's the best thing about him? He is NOT cool and he doesn't care. He's happy to be here. Wouldn't you be?

Eddie Murphy on his favorite Eddie Murphy movie: "I like 'em all. I even like Pluto Nash ." Now that's what I call unconditional love.

Ryan Seacrest (and his production company) should be taping ABC's "Road to the Oscars" coverage and taking notes. This is how you do it.

Ryan Gosling (plus his mother an sisters) was cool. When Chris Connelly (doing a bang-up job) asked him about bringing the family (I mean, after all, he was dating Rachel McAdams last I heard), he replied, "I thought I'd roll look Snoop."

Here comes Mark Wahlberg. He reminds me so much of my best friend growing up, Paul Swingle, that it's scary. Exact same personality, very similar-looking (the big difference is that Paul could throw 93 mph heat and actually pitched in the majors for a few weeks. Who gave up George Brett's last major-league home run? My buddy Paul Swingle).

If any one person deserves an Oscar tonight, in my opinion, it's Wahlberg for The Departed . Plus, he's the inspiration behind Entourage , so he's got that going for him, which is great.

Hardest part about being a red-carpet interviewer: Not calling Kate Winslet Cate Blanchett, and vice-versa.

Winslet's on the tube now. You know what's cool? I recall seeing Heavenly Creatures when it first came out at the Angelika Film Center and I came out of that movie saying to myself, "Whoa. That is ONE great actress."

And Winslet was like 13 then.

More Helen Mirren screen time. Va....Va....Voom. One question: Helen Mirren, where have you been all your life? Honestly, does anyone have a photo of her from before 2003? I didn't think so.

Blue tux! What is your name? You rock.

Helen Mirren...WOW!

Sixty is the new 57!

You look great, Helen. How do you feel about much younger men? I wanna make a movie with you entitled To Helen Back .

And Reese Witherspoon...you win my Hollywood actress I'd most like to share nachos with at Barney's Beanery. Tell me she wouldn't be a scream to hang with.

Robert Downey, Jr., looks about ten years older than he did the last time I saw him...which wouldn't be so bad except the last time I saw him was last night on the Independent Film Channel for the Independent Spirit Awards...which aired live.

I think Nicole Kidman took that Stepford Wives role to heart, no?

Here's hoping Ellen Degeneres makes a joke about Blood Diamond while pointing out all the bling in the room this evening.

I don't know who this interviewer in the blue tux is, but I love him. If you're going to be the opposite of R. Kelly ("Stuck in the Closet"), then you need to jump out and stand in the middle of the room.

Will someone please put Ryan Seacrest out of my misery?

Seacrest just asked Alan Arkin if he felt bad about doing the scenes he did in front of Abigail Breslin in Little Miss Sunshine ? Here's the problem with these red-carpet interviewers, in particular Seacrest: He talks to the stars as if he's on their plane, when he's so obviously not. It's like listening to Anthony Michael Hall talk to the other kids in The Breakfast Club (or "Sixteen Candles") when he knows he's not cool enough to hang with them.

The solution: Drop the facade that the interviewer is any cooler than you or I. If Chris Farley were still with us, I'd want him doing that "Chris Farley Show" character on the red carpet. Tell me that wouldn't be classic. Is there someone out there who can approximate that?

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I'm watching a commercial in which Ellen Degeneres says that she loves animals. So that's two things we have in common in terms of what we love.

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Vera Wang only designs women's clothes, which makes for fewer awkward moments on the red carpet:

"Eddie Murphy, is that a Wang?"

"I beg your pardon!"

Ryan Seacrest....seriously over-exposed.

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Gwyneth Paltrow: You look mah-velous, and your husband has the funniest cameo in television this year.

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All the women are wearing the asymmetric one-shoulder/arm covered look (Kate Winslet, Cate Blanchett, Beyonce). So, Allen Iverson is having a huge impact on fashion this winter.

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Ryan Seacrest just said "Ricky Jarvis" to Kate Winslet. If I were close enough right now, I'd be doing to him what James Woods did to Johnny Drama on the red carpet for the premiere of Aquaman.

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You know what's strange: Ricky "Jarvis" has a cat just like mine. What's stranger? Ricky Gervais and I each have a cat.

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Queen Latifah just said one of her favorite movies of 2006 was Pan's Labyrinth . Definitely was mine.

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Meryl Streep, the world's greatest living actress, is talking to Ryan Seacrest right now. This is the very definition of "overchicked".

Meryl just made a joke that went totally over Ryan's head. He's 5'1", so it wasn't difficult (cheap shot, I know).

Please E! Do us all a favor and next year just hire Bobcat Goldthwaite to do this job. Hire a Charlotte Bobcat. Charlotte Rae. I don't care. Anyone but Ryan Seacrest.

Check out this news report from WSMV-TV. It talks to a club owner from Tennessee he had a run-in with previously then, toward the end, cuts to a talk he had with school kids (when and where is not specified) in which he lets them know you can always get out of anything.

Kinda explains a lot.

INDIANAPOLIS - I wrote the story earlier today on how teams are responding to the spate of bad acting by players. Here are a few leftovers that didn't land in the story.

Jack Del Rio, the Jaguars head coach said that the fact young men become alarmingly rick almost overnight is a factor (perhaps best evidenced by Adam Jones' allegedly flinging $81,000 into the air in the move that may have sparked the much-discussed shooting in Vegas.

"When you determine character, you want guys you can rely on. Guys that show up as having trouble socially are not the ones capable of being relied on."

Colts GM Bill Polian said, "People are capable of change if they're sincere and motivated and prove they are capable of change. If you're satisfied with the results you see you're willing to take a chance. We've always relied on outside sources to help us make the decision (i.e. investigators).

Polian drew on an old experience to amplify his point.

"When I was in Buffalo, we brought in Art Schlichter (a quarterback whose life and talent were undone by serial gambling) and we had a real positive experience with him for 90 percent of the time and then he had a relapse but I don't regret having done it. Based on what people told us, it was a worthwhile choice to make."

Added Polian, "I think the commissioner knows full well with the age group and the amount of money they make there will always be some issues. I think he feels pretty strongly that he wants those to be as few and far between as possible and he's said publicly he will take steps to ensure that happens.

Said Fisher, "The process starts with the scout and it escalates as we get closer to the draft. Most of the discussions start right there with the character issues. Adopting a zero tolerance policy (for offenses), you're better off focusing your attention on those players that don't have background issues."

INDIANAPOLIS -Titans coach Jeff Fisher made a statement on the involvement of cornerback Adam "Pacman" Jones in the fight and shooting at a Las Vegas strip club on Monday morning.

Here's what he said. It's not very compelling.

"Over the past several days there has been widespread speculation and allegation tying Adam Jones to an incident that took place early this week in Las Vegas.

"I can tell you that Adam Jones is cooperating fully with the Las Vegas police department. I can tell you that we have not been in contact with Adam and have no information.

"The organization has put themselves in a position now where it's very difficult to comment until we are able to obtain the facts from the standpoint of what took place. It's a very unfortunate incident and when the organization obtains more information then we will be in a position to (answer) any other questions that you have."

We'll have more from Fisher and other coaches on the behavioral issues swamping the NFL later today.

INDIANAPOLIS - Moments ago, the LSU quarterback and presumptive No. 1 pick in April's draft held a 15-minute press conference. His presence bumped Dolphins GM Randy Mueller from the stage and off to a side table in Room 110 of the Indiana Convention Center.

At 6-5, 265, Russell is massive. He looks more like a power forward than a quarterback.

We're waiting on Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn who is at the hospital getting his tires kicked and gauges calibrated. He may be here later today but there's a chance he won't be in until tomorrow.

The very earnest coach of the Detroit Lions, Rod Marinelli is at the podium now.

He's trying to explain how much he loves defensive tackle Cory Redding and explaining why the team franchised him. It's kind of a disconnect because no player wants to be franchised but Marinelli is talking like it's the ultimate compliment.

(On Redding's Reaction to the Tag)
"Initially, it'snot something he wanted to do. I've become close to him and i've tried to not talk about the tag and what it means. I've tried to talk about what we want him to do going forward and make it a recruitment process. At the end of the line, there's no way (he's going anywhere else). I owe it to my team. This guy's got to be here. We made progress and I hope to get him signed. We need him. He's the focal point of our team."

(On Defensive End Kalimba Edwards)
"I'm just gonna smother him with coaching."

Projections have the Lions selecting Wisconsin offensive tackle Joe Thomas with the second pick. Marinelli sounded as if quarterback is going to get some thought, however.

"We love (current starter Jon Kitna). It's not a need for next year. But we might be able to find the quarterback of our future. If a young quarterback has a chance to be around Jon Kitna for a few years, that's special. We might be in a great position there.

Jack Del Rio just addressed the media here in Indianapolis. He gave lip service to the body of work amassed by David Garrard, saying he is excited about Garrard continuing to develop as a quarterback even though he just declared yesterday that he's making Garrard the backup.

It was tellng when Del Rio was asked about Garrard's reaction to the news and the coach said that, "the reaction isn't important".

The reaction of course is the most important aspect because it's the barometer of how he'll do moving forward.

(On Naming Byron Leftwich the starter over David Garrard)

"It requires some work on the relationship end. It's a delicate situation moreso with that position than any other. I've learned in my first four years as a head coach just how much scrutiny is placed o the quarterback position and I've learned to handle that position a little differently. We believe (Garrard) is a very capable quarterback and we feel he'll continue to grow. You don't always hear as an athlete things you want to hear"

(On Why Jacksonville fans love Garrard)

The Jacksonville fan base is similar to many around the country. The backup quarterback is the most popular guy. I was in Dallas with Steve Walsh and Troy Aikman, people were clamoring for Steve Walsh.

The rest was pretty much feelgood chatter from Del Rio explaining how excited he is about the season, talking about whether Matt Jones will ever run in pads the way he runs in shorts and a t-shirt and on and on.

INDIANAPOLIS - Morning from Indy.

This is the biggest day of the Combine with a fleet of coaches and "decision makers" coming through the Indiana Convention Center and the running backs and wide receivers traipsing in as well.

Jack Del Rio is on the mic right now (11:30)...we'll blog his chatter in...real time....

Obvously the quarterback topic is one that's been discussed quite a bit. The bottom line is we're excited about 2007. We have a strong roster and a healthy cap situation.

Gregg is back. All is normal in the world. We taped our first Fantasy Baseball and Football shows together today in the new studio. It looks awesome!

The two of us do the show sitting on stools... which of course brought back to life the great debate on who is really taller. Me or Gregg? I'll let you judge that one.

One thing we didn't talk about in the show was the situation with Lovie Smith and the Chicago Bears. I can't seem to grasp the concept that the man who took a team to the Super Bowl (a team that hasn't played in a Super Bowl since 1985) is the lowest paid coach in the NFL. What? Does that make sense to you? At all? He was Coach of the Year in 2005. I mean Rex Grossman, love him or hate him, had a guaranteed one million dollar bonus in his contract just for making it to the Super Bowl. No, he didn't have to win the game to get the extra money. He just had to go.

Lovie made $1.35 million last season. Now to you and me, that's a lot of money. However within the NFL coaching world, Smith is the lowest paid coach on the list. As in 31 other head coaches made more money then him YET only one other head coach besides Smith was able to take his team to the Super Bowl: Tony Dungy.

At the Super Bowl in Miami, people could not speak highly enough of Lovie Smith. The entire week people repeatedly had such respect towards this man. Players, reporters and analysts had nothing but nice things to say about him as a coach, leader, and most importantly as a person. It's a shame that the Bears aren't treating him with the same respect.

INDIANAPOLIS - The Texans are open to dealing quarterback David Carr according to both head coach Gary Kubiak and GM Rick Smith.

Smith said he would "entertain offers" for Carr in this offseason.

In five seasons, Carr has been sacked 249 times, thrown 59 touchdowns and 65 interceptions.

Carr actually had an OK season statistically nin 2006, throwing 11 TDs, 12 picks and completing more than 68 percent of his passes.

Knowing his neck's in the noose can't be an easy reality. But Kubiak said it's part of the deal.

"That's part of the business," he said. "I've had conversations with him this offseason already regarding that. But if you're going to play in this league, especially at quarterback, you gotta have some tough skin. It's just part of the process. He's got to come back and play and I have to do a better job of coaching to get more out of that position for our football team."

Smith said that the Texans face some big issues with getting under the 2007 salary cap over the next few weeks.

"To be honest with you, we have a challenge with our salary cap situation. We have to find a way to add players and improve our team. That means we have some difficult decisions we have to make relative to some of our veteran players. It's challenging."

INDIANAPOLIS - Saints GM Mickey Loomis wasn't that psyched when he saw Reggie Bush turn an ankle in a recent celebrity hoop game.

"I thought I was going to have a heart attack," said Loomis.

The Saints have had two key offensive players hurt this offseason -- Bush and Drew Brees who dislocated his elbow in the Pro Bowl.

"Fortunatley it doesn't look lke (either one) will have lasting impact," Loomis added. "You're always nervous about what happens in the offseason to your players whether it's Pro Bowl or celebrity games or driving your car down the road. You get nervous about that. The last call I want to see is from our security director or trainer with some report. They dont call unless they're delivering bad news."

Nevertheless, the Saints aren't going to change their policies.

"it's not been our philosoply to restrict guys. We want guys to use their own good judgment."

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Robert Susnar, co-owner of the Minxx strip club in Las Vegas told Sirius Radio about the involvement of Pacman Jones in a Monday morning shooting outside his club.

Here's the transcript of the interview from Sirius.

"Pacman Jones arrived with an entourage. His entourage consisted of Pacman Jones, his girlfriend, his publicist, the shooter. The person who shot my two employees arrived with Pacman Jones. Sat with Pacman Jones. Talked to Pacman Jones. Drank with him. ...

"The way the trouble erupted is Pacman has a ritual he likes to do with some of the dancers where he gets them up onstage throws out a bunch of money, lets it fall on stage and none of the girls are supposed to touch the money until pacman says that i'ts OK.

"We have girls that travel from all over the country for big weekends like this to dance for us. Pacman does his rain thing where he throws the money out. Fantastic. We were happy, he's having a good time. One of the other dancers, not familiar with the rain program, starts picking the money up off the stage. Now, Pacman grabs her by the hair, slams her head against the stage and punched her in the face.

"At that point, our bouncer, Aaron Cudworth steps in and restrains Pacman. Aaron is a trained mixed martial arts guy. He did not hit Pacman. He simply restrained him. At that point, Pacman's girlfriendf hit Aaron over the head with a champagne bottle, his bouncer jumped in, the rest of his entourage jumped in and a fight broke out.

"Pacman bit Aaron in the ankle. It was a pretty severe bite. He took a big piece of meat out of his leg. Pacman got away, chased the same dancer down and punched her again on the other side of the room. I don't know what type of man thinks it's an OK thing to punch a woman in the face but Pacman Jones is apparently that type of man.

"Aaron then got around to othe side of the stage and restrained him again and then, in front of five witnesses, said, "You know what man? I'm going to (expletive) kill you.

"Guess what? Twenty minutes later, one of the memebers of Pacman Jones' party - the shooter ...we had cleared the club out. Before everyone came in, we patted everyone down, wanded everyone tried to make sure there'd be no trouble.

"The shooter went back to the car, produced a gun and made good on Pacman's promise. He shot Aaron right in the chest. He shot Thomas (Urbanski) three times. One of the bullets severed his spine.

"He parked down the street. He ran up to the front of the club. The 2 bouncers, Thomas and Aaron were standing in the front of the door after all of the patrons had left. This man then returned to the club and, from right in front of the club, empotied a clip of bullets into these guys.

"We have cameras in our club that show Pacman and how he behaved and the striking of the dancer and all the other mayhem."

INDIANAPOLIS - The Ravens announced that they won't be slapping the franchise tag on linebacker Adalius Thomas which is good because they only have 75 minutes to do so (and counting).

"Our hope is that we can re-sign him," said Ravens GM Ozzie Newsome.

Terrific idea.

INDIANAPOLIS - The dislocated left elbow suffered by Saints quarterback Drew Brees will keep him on the shelf for nearly two months.

"Fortunately for us, both the x-rays and the MRIs came back as well as can be expected," Saints head coach Sean Payton said today at the NFL Combine. "I think the difficult thing for him is that (his recuperation period ends) at about the same time we break and he would have had some time to spend with his family. But we were fortunate. Just from my understanding of the nature of the injury, there were a lot of things that could have been worse about it that weren't."

It's the second offseason in a row that Brees will spend rehabbing. He sustained a torn right lambrum in the final game of the 2005 season while still with the Chargers.

INDIANAPOLIS - The days of top prospects making a sweat-free appearance at the NFL Combine are over, according to Steelers GM Kevin Colbert.

After years of players showing up at the Combine but declining to lift, run, jump or smile for fear of hurting their draft position, Colbert said that only 22 of the more than 300 players invited last year took a pass on the whole megillah.

Asked how many took a pass before, Colbert said, "About a third. Well over 100."

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Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin spoke this morning at 10 a.m.

One of the key issues he has to deal with taking over the Steelers is the fact that there are a number of players who had loyalties to Russ Grimm who was in the running for the head job before being passed over for Tomlin.

"Transition is never easy," said Tomlin. "I'm OK with that. That's what this business is about. Sometimes it's good to feel a little uncomfortable."

A few other snippets.

(On how things are developing with his players so far)
"I'm not going to try to buld relationships in one day. Relationships will be built on shared experiences.

(Advice given)
Most of my mentors tolld me to be myself and trust my instincts.

(Differences between being here as a head coach as opposed to an assistant)
"It’s pretty much the same routine. Wire to wire. Previously, I was just looking at positions, now I'm looking at all players.

(Difficulty in moving two years straight)
"It wasn't difficult as a career move but as a family move (it was). I've moved the family two offseasons in a row. That’s been an issue. Professionally, this is what I do. But the tough part has been the transition from a personal standpoint.

(On Roethlisberger)
Like everyone else, we've got to be blue collar and he's got to be blue collar in his approach and be ready to come to work every day.

(Communication with Bill Cowher)
I have had none.

--Don't know if you caught it on any of the morning news shows--because it was such big news--but there's been a new world record set in the overloaded category of "Squat Thrusts on the Back of an Elephant". Ashrita Furman of Queens, NY, did forty in one minute.

Oh, there was much a' chortling over this on Today . Matt Lauer wondered, accurately, if even one squat thrust on the back of an elephant would have set a world record.

The story made me smile. Nearly ten years ago Ashrita and I hung out as he was preparing to set a world record in an even more saturated field, the "Fastest 10-K in a Potato Sack" record. I'll never forget the two of us potato-sacking around the Sheep's Meadow in Central Park one fine October day as--I believe--men with oversized butterfly nets tried to capture us and take us away.

I'll admit, he may be just a 15-second clip of B-roll to the folks at the cable news channels, but Ashrita is a hero of mine. His stated goal, his lifetime goal, is to set the most Guinness World Records of anyone. When I knew him that number was in the sixties, and I have to believe it's at least in the eighties now. The best aspect of it all is that, believe it or not, Furman is no narcissist.

He's actually just a devoted follower of Sri Chinmoy, an Eastern meditation guru type. Chinmoy's main tenet is that the only limit on the self is the mind, and so Furman believes that by breaking these records--he's a decent athlete, but nothing extraordinary-- he's paying homage to that tenet. Now, he's also celibate and a vegetarian, but in terms of record-breaking, yeah, Ashrita's a huge hero of mine. You will never meet a more enthusiastic person in your life.

Keep going, Ashrita. Somewhere out there is a blue whale that needs to be the base for the most underwater push-ups ever attempted.!

INDIANAPOLIS - This blog got to Indy Wednesday night with a hop in its step and big plans for the next couple of days.

The NFL Combine begins tomorrow at the RCA Dome.

Access to the workouts isn't great but there is a steady stream of coaches and decision makers flowing through the joint beginning tomorrow.

Tomorrow, we'll be getting news and scuttle of the butt and posting it here as well as working on some more developed stories and striding bravely into the world of providing some video content. Kinda like a Marty Scorcese of the grid.

We'll hit you back in the morning and please check back throughout the day.

T

Monday night a good friend of mine turned 27. So to celebrate we all headed down to the Lower East Side for a solid game of good ole fashion BINGO. However at Mo Pitkins, Monday nights are no regular old grandma bingo. Try Drag Queen Bingo. The host/hostess dress up, crack jokes and try to make it fun for everyone. Hey, its New York, things like that are normal here.

Ok, before you go saying "Why are they playing BINGO in NY?" think back to the last time you actually played BINGO. Exactly. A lonnngggg time ago. Let me refresh your memory. It's actually really fun. Plus there is not another game that is so stupidly simple yet competitive as BINGO.

To spare you all the details, we had a blast and our table actually won a few times. The first time I won, I had to have a tie-breaker because someone else also won that round. At this point, there had already been several tie-breakers. Examples include a chugging contest, guessing a random number, simple stuff. Umm.. as for me? I had to arm wrestle the girl who tied with me. Which would be fine if the girl across the table from me was Nicole Richie. Let's be honest, I'd win in a second. This was NOT Nicole Richie. That being said, I went down in 2.5. Awesome. So I lost the prizes: a magic eight ball and shower caps. They felt bad for me and gave me a tee-shirt. Haha...

Then the final round arrived. The last game of the night. "Blackout." It's where you must have every number on your card called out in order to win. The Grand Prize? 120 bucks. Our table was determined to win. So was everyone else in the room.

Music was playing, people were laughing and glasses were clinking. It takes a while to get an entire BINGO card filled. At this point people are managing two or three cards because some have given up and left. Randomly you'd hear: "Yessss!!" "I needed that one!" "Ugh... that wasn't me." "Give mamma a G-16." I'm telling you, BINGO is serious. So we get down to the wire and I'm looking at my card. I need two more. She calls the number. Suddenly I need one more. B-1. All I need is for Murray Hill (the Host) to call out B-1 and I have BINGO.

The anticipation. The suspense. Murray reaches in and grabs the ball. She looks at it. Smiles. Will you just tell us the damn number puh-lease?? "Ladies and gentlemen.... the next one is.... B.... 1."

BBBBBB-I-N-G-O!!!
Biiiinnngggg-freaking o!!
My whole table errupted into cheers and high fives! We were all so excited.
Ha... I may have lost the arm wrestle competition but took home the big prize!! Really, it's the simple things in life that are so fun.

My friend Smoron sends me this clip from (I assume) from a recent "Dear Abby" column. Why Smoron is reading "Dear Abby" is beyond me, but you'll enjoy this:

Dear Abby ,

My friend "Suzy's" husband recently got a pet monkey named "Jocko". He and the monkey play games together. The problem is he has now begun ignoring Suzy in favor of the monkey.
When Suzy wants to have sex and asks him to come to bed, her husband refuses and tells her, "I'd rather spend time with Jocko." That's only the beginning. She told me she and her husband no longer share the same bed. He says, "Jocko needs company."

So here are my thoughts:

1. Should "Jocko needs company" become all of us' new favorite euphemism?
2. I can understand why "Suzy" requires a pseudonym. But how come "Jocko" has his name in quotes? Are we protecting his identity?
3. Why do I think this guy owns a Peter Gabriel album or two?

Bunch of random (some surprising) storylines are coming out over the last few days. No, I'm not talking about Britney. Bless her heart, that whole thing is a complete mess.

But while we are on the subject of someone who hasn't exactly adjusted to the parenting lifestyle, lets talk about the newest daddy to be in the NFL. TOM BRADY. Ladies, yes he may be back on the dating scene (Giselle Bundchen is currently holding the QB down in Paris.) However Brady's ex-girlfriend busted any new romance bubble when she announced she's carrying a mini-Patriots fan. Three months pregnant and keeping it, Bridget Moynahan dropped a bomb over the weekend. Today Brady's camp made a statement through his agent, Don Yee. "Tom and his family are excited about the pregnancy, and want to thank everyone who has shown support, and particularly for their consideration of Tom's privacy." Hmmm...

Alex Rodriguez. Derek Jeter. Yankees. Drama. Nothing new. A-Rod yesterday decided to tell reporters that no, he and Jeter are no longer BFFAE (that would be Best Friends Forever And Ever. I realize guys didn't carry around BFFAE charms when they were in elementary school. Liz-do you still have yours?) Now people are saying they aren't surprised by this honest confession, yet they keep writing about it and making it a big deal. According to Jeter, "It's annoying to hear about it all the time. Everyone assumes they know what our relationship is." Meanwhile, Bernie Williams still hasn't shown up in Florida leaving Yankees fans to believe they may have to get through this season without him. Hmmm...

Dominic Rhodes played well for the Colts and got the Super Bowl ring in Miami.
He drove drunk early Tuesday morning and got a DUI in Indianapolis.
What luck.
Now NFL guys getting in trouble with the law is nothing new. But it does suck that this happens just a few days before Rhodes enters free agency. Seeing as how this isn't his first offense either, it will be interesting to see what happens. Bet he wishes he was still at Disney World. Hmmm...

And that was all after a holiday weekend.

A few years ago I saw Finding Forrester , which was sort of a cross between Karate Kid and Field of Dreams . You remember it. Sean Connery as a Bronx shut-in who'd written a classic novel years ago, who was then befriended by a writing/basketball prodigy (Rob Brown).

My feeling is, If a movie even provides you with one moment or insight that resonates five years later, it's done its job. And "Finding Forrester" did that via the term "soup question". In short, Connery explained to his pupil that the only good question is one whose answer you really don't know. So, "How are you feeling today?" is not really a soup question. Anyway, during last week's frigid temps. here in New York City I had ample opportunities to devour soup, and so here are three soup questions:

1. What is the difference between chowder and soup?
2. What's the correct way to describe soup ingestion: "eating" soup or "drinking" soup? To me it would seem like it should be a combination of the two.
3. Matzoh ball soup? I didn't even know matzohs could reproduce.
4. And what's up with bisque? If they renamed "beef barley soup" as "cow bisque", would people still order it?

On Sunday, Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin face off on NBC.

Earlier in the season I hung out with some of the Washington Capitals and got a chance to interview Ovechkin. What a character. He seems very tame in the interview, but I can assure you the funny stuff got left on the cutting room floor.

Hear what he has to say about his mom, the NHL, fame and Crosby in the interview. Also, take note that in the piece, you see Ovechkin in his jersey. What you can't see is that Alex is wearing slider sandals, knee high socks, and his boxers. Told you, he's a character.

The brand new Fantasy Fix set was up and running for the very first time yesterday! It's pretty sweet and will obviously grow and change over time. I had to hold down the fort by myself as Gregg is still in Japan. (He flies back today). But this will be the new home for Gregg and I when we do the Fantasy Fix and Baseball shows!

Check out the video coming up later on today!

There are certain things I admire in people.

People who are funny.
People who can sing.
People who go out of their way to help others... just because.

Last week I went to a Fashion Show for New York Fashion Week and my friend Scott and I hit up the free magazine table like no other. I seriously dropped my pile of mags on the way to the subway at least five times. Which thankfully, Scott found funny.

Yesterday on the train I began to read Time Magazine and came across an article that I absolutely loved. My apologies to those who are already 'in the know' about this story, man, and idea. For those who don't know..

Blake Mycoskie just might be the coolest guy ever. After finding success career wise and TV wise, he picked up and moved to Argentina. You know, just to learn some stuff like how to tango and sail. (Like I said, cool guy). Well after looking around and seeing how many children didn't have shoes he decided to start his own company. The goal being, for every shoe he sold, he'd give a pair for free to a kid who needed one. Ok, this is a guy who'd never worked in fashion before. You don't just really wake up one day and decide "Hey, I'm going to start a shoe company." It's a great concept, but to actually pull it off is a little unrealistic. Unless of course your name is Blake Mycoskie.

The shoes are called Toms-Shoes for Tomorrow. And at only 38 bucks, you can have a new pair of shoes as well as give (at no extra charge) a pair to someone else. The article said that by the Fall he'd already sold 10,000 shoes. He went back to Argentina with volunteers and gave away 10,000 free pair of shoes to little kids. The word has spread and now more and more stores are picking up the shoe. Which means more and more little ones are getting new kicks sometime soon.

Next time you are stumped at what to buy for a friend, family member, loved one, neighbor, teacher, (do you see where I am going with this? Basically anyone you need to buy a gift for) consider getting Toms. Cause at least you are helping someone when you do buy them.

Here is where you can buy them online

Last night, Chargers owner Dean Spanos and GM A.J. Smith held a press conference after the release of Marty Schottenheimer.

Here's the Q&A....and it's long

Q. What precipitated this move?

Dean Spanos: "I still say that at the end of the season, keeping everything status quo or with minimal changes, both A.J. and I believe that that was the best chance for us to succeed this year. I still believe that. Unfortunately,
since then there have been significant changes to our coaching staff. There has been a process that we have been going through in the last month that both A.J. and Marty have not agreed upon in the process with how this has worked with what we've been trying to accomplish. You can say it's dysfunctional or whatever you want, but it hasn't worked. I think that's what precipitated the change and the need for the change."


Q. Was there a final straw?

DS: "I hate to say final straw. In the last three years, this organization has been successful, and there's no doubt they haven't been the best of friends, but they've both done an outstanding job. I don't want to take anything away from Marty. He's a friend. I think he's been a good coach here, but it's a situation that has worked, maybe not under the most perfect of circumstances but they've both acted professionally and done their jobs accordingly. We've been successful. In the last month, it's been very difficult."

Q. Did their disagreements stem from future staffing?

DS: "I think that's part of it, but it's more the actual working relationship that has been difficult."

Q. Has it been worse now than it was before?

DS: "I would say different. It's untenable. It's reached a point where it's become on shaky ground, and it wasn't like that before."

Q. Were A.J. and Marty not talking at all?

DS: "I would just say that it was a difficult situation, and it had reached a point where we needed to make a change."

Q. You must have an idea what the next step is?

DS: "A.J. and I have obviously been talking. I think in the next day or so we're going to diligently pursue a new head coach. A.J. and I are going to work late tonight and I'm sure he has some ideas that he will probably talk to you
about tomorrow with how we're going to proceed. This is something that we're going to act on immediately. I hate to put a timeframe on anything, but I'm hoping that in the near future we have a new head coach. I would say that I'd like to get a head coach in here as soon as possible, but I also want to make the right decision. We're going to take our time and go through the process. We're going to interview a list of candidates that both he and I think are
viable candidates for this job."

Q. Did you just come to this decision today?

DS: "No, it's something that has been progressing throughout the month. It's something that I've been thinking about for the last several days. It's sort of a negative work in progress, and it's been a very difficult situation."

Q. What was it like when you actually had to tell Marty the news?

DS: "It was very difficult for me. It was obviously emotional to a certain degree because he and I are friends. I have a great deal of respect for him and what he's done here in the last five years. I think in the history of the
franchise not many coaches have done that. He's the third-winningest coach in the league in the last three years. During the regular season, we've done some things that we haven't done. It was very difficult. I hate to put words in his mouth, but we have a great respect for each other. I hate to say he made it easy because that's not the right thing to say. It was more difficult than I thought it would be, but it was very professional."

Q. Did he protest?

DS: "No.

Q. Did he know it was coming?

DS: "Ask him. I don't know."

Q. Why blame the coaching exodus on Marty?

DS: "I didn't blame the exodus on him. It's the process that we've been going through in trying to deal with these issues that has been the real issue. I never blamed him for the exodus of these coaches. To the contrary, I'm happy to see coaches advance and get head coaching jobs. Don't get me wrong, I wish Cam and Wade were both still here, but that happens with successful teams in this league."

Q. Isn't this a pretty tough spot for a playoff team not having a head coach?

DS: "We will hire a new head coach in the near future. We're going to go on, and I really believe we have a championship team here with a lot of great players. We're going to be successful."

Q. Did Marty have full control over the hiring of assistant coaches?

DS: "I don't know exactly verbatim, but I rely on the head coach to hire and fire coaches, sure."

Q. Was there a difficulty in hiring assistants considering that Marty was on a one-year deal?

DS: "I have no idea. That's purely speculative on your part. I really don't know."

Q. It seems from the statement that you're blaming the move on the exodus of the coaching staff.

DS: "I don't read it that way. To me it's more the process and the working relationship going forward to deal with all these issues. If you got that, that's not what my intent is."

Q. What specifically about the process did you not like?

DS: "That the working relationship that I think existed that I think was untenable. I'm not going to get into specifics about that."

Q. Why not?

DS: "I'm just not going to get into any specific details. It was not a good working relationship, and I made a decision to move on."

Q. How different is the relationship between Marty and A.J. now?

DS: "It's not that they didn't get along. They did their jobs, and I think they did excellent at their jobs in the last three or four years. I'm just saying that the situation became untenable. They couldn't get along, and it reached a
point where it was irreparable, and we decided to move along. You're trying to ask me specifics, and I'm not going to get into the specifics of what the issues particularly were other than it was very difficult in this process dealing these issues. There were issues, and that's what I'm going to leave it at.

Q. Haven't you said in the past that if Marty and A.J. didn't get along that you'd fire them both?

DS: "I think what I said that if they didn't act professionally and do their jobs accordingly that I would fire them both. That's different from what you just said."

Q. Did A.J. recommend this move?

A.J. Smith: "No. I'm not going to get into specifics, but we've been talking about changes in the organization at the end of each year for every year since Dean hired me. I'd like to get to one point. Really the way that I'm looking
at this is that Coach (Schottenheimer) and I both want to win a world championship. There is no question about that. I think we had different ways of approaching that. That's about all I want to say on the matter. Over the
years and the last couple of years, I think that's what Dean is pointing to. He's probably very tired of the different approaches to it. That's about all I want to say about it. We both want to win a world championship, but we had
different views about it. I guess it maybe became tiresome, but I don't want to get into the specifics of what the differences are."

Q. Did it ever come down in your mind, Dean, that you had to pick either A.J. or Marty?

DS: "I made the decision obviously that's in the best interest of the club long-term going with our general manager. I have a great deal of respect for him, and I think his performance over the last three or four years speaks for
itself."

Q. Did you see at the end of the season that there was a possibility that Cam and Wade would be gone?

DS: "No. In my personal opinion, and A.J. and I talked about this, we thought there was a possibility that we might lose one and have a minor turnover, but we did not expect to have a significant change like this."

Q. Did you make any sort of attempt to keep Wade Phillips?

DS: "No."

Q. Is there a short list of head coaching candidates?

A.J. Smith: "I've got a list. Right after Dean hired me, maybe three or four days later, I think it's my job and responsibility to have names. I've always had a list of names, and they constantly change from year to year. I do have some people in mind, and as soon as this (interview) is over, I'm going to get together with Dean and discuss those and make a list and proceed. We'll find out who we want to contact and maybe shrink that list a little bit. Maybe some of the names we want to contact will not be interested, and we'll move on to some other candidates. We do have some people involved, some very capable people. We'll discuss that later this evening and proceed immediately."

Q. Are you looking for someone with NFL experience?

A.J. Smith: "I don"t want to get into the particulars of it other than to say that there is a large list. We're going to narrow it down to some very good people and proceed."

Q. A.J., what is your definition of dysfunction?

A.J. Smith: "Dysfunction is a word that I used a few years ago myself regarding our defense. We straightened that out in a very positive way. I think right now dysfunction is meaning that you've got two guys, a G.M. and a head coach, that both want to win a world championship and are looking at it in my opinion a little bit differently. I just look at it differently than he does on how to win a world championship. I think Dean tired of that."



Q. How did the situation get worse in the last month?

DS: "I think the dynamic to our situation going forward changed dramatically in the last 30 days. We lost both coordinators and several coaches, and not to sound redundant, but in the process and trying to deal with these issues, there was a significant difference there."

Q. Is Pete Carroll a candidate?

DS: "I have not talked to him and I don't think A.J. has either."

A.J. Smith: "I haven't talked to him either. We're going to put a list together. Right after we get through talking with you guys, I'm going to meet with Dean tonight. I do have a list of names and considerations. I'll run them by Dean Spanos and decide who we're going to contact. We'll find out if they're interested. If they are interested, we will proceed setting up an interview process. If some of the people say, 'We appreciate you contacting us but we're
not interested in the position,' we'll move on to some other names. Until we get a comfortable group, there's no timetable. It's not going to take long. We'll proceed to get the best football coach that we can. I'm not going to give
you names, however when that first person comes in here, whoever that is, I'll be more than happy to talk to you about who came in and how the interview went. We'll try to set it up if it's okay with the agent if they have one or the particular coach so that (the media) might have an opportunity to touch base with them. That's their call, but we'll try to do that. Then we'll move on to the next one to try to keep you abreast on who they are as we move through the process. That's how we're going to handle it on our end."

Q. Were you ever comfortable with Marty?

A.J. Smith: "I don't want to get into the particulars of that. In the very beginning in 2003 when I was hired by Dean, we went to work together and everything was fine. Then after that, let me just say that it started to go in a different direction. I don't want to give the specifics. I think I told you that we both wanted to win a world championship very badly. That's obvious. It's just that my approach may have been a little bit different than his, and I think Dean tired of this constant dialogue. That's my word not his."

Q. Do the assistant coaches remain?

A.J. Smith: "The way it is is that they're under contract. We realize that it's probably a difficult situation for them because they'll be on hold as some of the may have been through the process over the years. I'm not sure. You have a new head coach, he's announced, he usually comes in and assesses the present staff. (He looks at) who is under contract and then he might make some recommendations with changes he might like to make. It might be a difficult situation for some of those coaches."

Three things I never expected to see at a Dog Show:

1) Hair spray (lots and lots of hair spray)
2) Blow dryers
3) Hair straightner

Yet, yesterday as I walked through Madison Square Garden backstage at the Westminster Dog Show I saw that and more. 2,500 dogs were registered to show at the Westminster. Now add in the owners, the handlers, the stylists and the fans all backstage obsessing over their little pooch. As strange as it may seem to an outsider, its serious business to the people who compete.

So if I was going to ever enter a dog, I'd definitely make sure it was a short-haired. The longer haired dogs take absolutely forever to get ready. I'm talking hours and hours. First you wash them, then blow dry, then comb, then spritz with a water/conditioner mixture, then fluff. Now repeat for the next 12 hours and maybe your dog will be ready to go. Oh and I saw them cutting stray hairs after all the poofing. Plus hairspray. Don't want all of that hard work getting messed up or falling out. And somehow throughout this whole process the dogs stand there. Still. Calm. No barking. How do they do that? I can barely stay still for three minutes.

A few of my "What?!" moments:
I witnessed one lady take a sharpie marker and color in her dogs toe nails.
I saw a guy using a hair straightner on a dog that weighed no more then four pounds soaking wet.
I saw a little girl sitting inside the dog crate coloring.

If you ever go:
Dress like you are going to the beach. It is sooooooo hot backstage.
Don't bring big bags. Trying to push through the crowd is hard enough, why torture yourself by adding on excessive extras.
Hang out with the guys at Chocolate Champions. Really funny and if they like you, you might get some goodies.

Our story should be up soon...

Watching a lot of college basketball these days.

While I watch, I'm often instructed by analysts (formerly known as color men in the early days of television) not to sleep on things. Like Oklahoma. Or Texas Tech. Or my left arm.

This trend will be trending upward in coming weeks as the March Kookiness approaches and the chances of all the planet's colleges for getting into the tournament are discussed.

Just once, I want to be told which schools I can safely sleep on.

If the Bengals are going to put the franchise tag on defensive end Justin Smith, they haven't yet tipped their hand to Smith's agent Jim Steiner.

Steiner said by e-mail today, "I cannot tell you whether they will franchise Justin. Obviously, like all players, he would prefer not to be tagged but that does not mean at all he does not want to return to the Bengals.

Yesterday, profootballtalk.com had a league source saying that Smith will get tagged. The cost to do so is $8.644 million and the window to put the tags on is open until February 22.

One tweak to the system this season is that, if a club and player hammer out a long-term deal before July 15, the franchise tag is still in play the following season. Previously, teams only had a short time to work out a long-term deal after putting the tag or they'd lose the tag for the length of the contract they did with a franchise player.

This now makes it easier for A) players to get their big paydays after being franchised and B) teams to control the movement of unrestricted free agents they don't want to lose.

Steiner added that, "Negotiations remain open. Dialogue has and will continue to occur over the next few weeks."

A new little item I'm going to have on my blog is "Five Questions With _________" (insert athlete, celeb, interesting person, if slow day: a family member). Every couple of days I'll feature someone new. That way you get to learn a little something extra about the people you're reading about on all the sites. To kick things off... we begin with Steve Smith - Carolina Panthers Wide Receiver

What is the last song played on your ipod?
God's Gonna Cut You Down by Johnny Cash

What celebrity would you most like to trade places with and why?
Denzel Washington because he plays so many different roles.

What's the one website you just can't live without?
iTunes Apple Website.

What did you do with your first paycheck?
Bought my first car!

What's your favorite thing in your closet?
Shoes, I love shoes.

What's shakin? I'm all over the offseason issues facing all 32 teams in the NF of L this week starting with the AFC East tomorrow a.m.

Here's a few links to get you rolling.

* Todd Archer looks at all the fun coaches have had following in Tuna's wake.

* J.M. Romero has Seahawks fans starting a grassroots campaign to make sure kicker Josh Brown doesn't hit the bricks.

* Jim Wyatt notes that there is hot breath on the back of the Colts' collective necks.

* Phil Sheridan has a strong look at the family dynamic Andy Reid is facing since his sons' arrests.

* Couple days old but Bill Simmons remains funny and easily enraged.

I have to write a column on the Bulls-Suns game, but Billy Hubbell is watching the Grammys right now and probably wondering who'll play Natalie Maines (Charlene Tilton's too old) in The Dixie Chicks biopic. His continuing coverage:

The Super Bowl Rocked Harder Than The Grammys

Continuing the throw back jersey theme of tonight's show, Smokey Robinson just sang "Tracks of My Tears" followed by Lionel Ritchie singing "Hello", which segued into Chris Brown and friends stomping the yard/stage, before singing "Run It". I don't get it, was that supposed to be "really old, old and new?" Down in the audience Lionel's daughter Nicole hasn't touched her food and is making out with a club DJ. Now Natalie Maines is eating Nicole's food for her.

Death roll is playing now. James Brown wins this Grammy in a landslide. Oh, this isn't an award? My bad. Sorry, but I don't think we'll be seeing any Gerald Levert biopics in the next thirty years. Well, who knows, maybe Jennifer Hudson could cut her hair, gain a little weight back and belt out "Casanova".

Ludacris, who won Best Rap Album earlier for "Release Therapy" is performing "Runaway Love" his duet with Mary J. Blige. Great song. Now James Blunt is singing "Beautiful". This is one of those songs that everyone on earth liked the first couple of times they heard it alone in their car, but would never admit it to anybody. It sounds like it was written by a nerdy 10th grader while staring at the captain of the cheerleaders during lunch.

Okay, we're almost three hours into this thing and I haven't heard anyone wail on a guitar since "Roxanne" opened the show. What's going on, is rock 'n roll really dead? (It's not, trust me, but you'd never know it by watching The Grammys. Check out The Hold Steady, My Morning Jacket or Roger Clyne and The Peacemakers-- good old rock 'n roll is still out there). By the way, The Hold Steady's performance of "Stuck Between Stations" on Letterman would win my Grammy for best live performance of the year that J-Dub was talking about earlier. Check it out-- R 'n R at it's finest.

Some pretty young girl just won some type of American Idol type deal and is now singing with Justin Timberlake. A bit pitchy if you ask me, what do you think Paula? Justin Timberlake is working the stage. Watching him dance makes me think that maybe, just maybe, one day we'll see another white tailback in the NFL.

Record Of The Year goes to......The Dixie Chicks. The Chicks are cleaning up. For some reason Kenny Stabler is up on stage accepting with them. They thanked Dan Wilson and Gary Louris, two woefully under-appreciated Minneapolis tunesters who wrote a lot of the songs on this album.

As he should be, since he has ties to both organizations. Kerr played his college hoop in Tucson, and as you know he won a few rings with the Bulls.

Suns outscored Chicago by 16 in the third. Right now, with 2:05 to play, the Bulls have outscored Phoenix by 19 in the fourth. Phoenix has yet to lose a game by double-digits this season, but it looks as if that streak is about to end. Bulls are up 111-97 and it's charity stripe time.

My buddy Eric has a great suggestion, regarding the Grammys. "There should be a Best Live Performance Video of the year award."

He's right. The dudes who founded YouTube (even the third guy, who decided getting a PhD from Stanford was more important than being bought out for billions of dollars) could hand it out. Eric's vote would go to U2/Green Day for "The Saints Are Coming" on Monday Night Football in New Orleans.

Mine would go to Seminole County, for their halftime performance at the Emerald Bowl...not.

Update: Steve Kerr's been flanked by two women all night (from where I sit, I cannot tell who they are. Could be family for all I know. Anyway, sideline reporter Jim Gray just joined them. That's so Jim Gray of him.

Okay, so there's a 6'3" white guard with black hair blowing up the gym right now, but it isn't Steve Nash. Chicago's Kirk Hinrich has just scored his 14th point of the 4th quarter. He's got a game-high 29 overall. If only Hinrich had a more unusual offensive move than a perfect jump shot, someone back in Bristol would already have dubbed it "The Hinrich Manuever".

Chicago is shooting like 103% from the field in this quarter, and they now lead Phoenix by seven with less than four minutes to play. So much for that five-point lead the Suns took into this period.

It's been all Hinrich and Deng this period. I cannot wait to see what their shooting % in this quarter turns out to be.

Oh, by the way, now that Holtz is gone, Steve Kerr assumes the mantle of "Most Recognizable Male Blond" seated on the front row. That's only because Doug Collins isn't calling the game this evening.

Let's see: D'Antoni places Pat Burke in to the rotation to begin the fourth quarter and Chicago reels off seven unanswered points. I'm just sayin'...

Clip-and-save: Phoenix is the only franchise in professional sports with a day named after them.

Who's gone? Lou's gone. Holtz left at halftime. Either that or he's now moonlighting as the Suns' Gorilla. Don't put it past him.

Timeout. Burke out, Amare in: And on the first play he scores a lay-in and is fouled. Meanwhile, Tyrus Thomas picks up his fifth foul.

Does any righty in the NBA go to his left quicker than Ben Gordon? Dude is positively Barbosan.

Conversation I overheard:

"John Amaechi's gay? But I loved him in "Coccoon".
"No, that's the wrong guy. John Amaechi's the guy who scored the game-winning touchdown in the 1960 NFL Championship Game."

(okay, I didn't actually overhear that. I didn't even underhear it.)

Time for "More Hubbell":

Not to be confused with "More Cowbell".

The Suns are mounting a late-3rd quarter comeback after having been down by as many as 15. It's now only six and would be four if the refs weren't killing Amare on calls.

Wait! James "Drink the Kool-Aid" Jones just buried a three to halve the Bulls' lead.

But we've got more pressing issues. Such as Billy Hubbell's next Grammys installment:

Justin Timberlake does a very "at a black church" version of "What Goes Around"-- pretty enjoyable. Now he's holding a hand-cam that is really, really weird. Who thought seeing his face from three inches away would be a good idea? Why didn't they let Beyonce do that? JT was slammin' in Alpha Dogs, I have to say, the only good part of a crappy movie. Good move by him to dump Cameron Diaz, too. For god's sake, she's old enough to sing along to "Roxanne".
Note to Justin, though: End the little feud with Prince ASAP! The only guy to ever even try that was Morris Day, and look how his career turned out. When JT pulled that "Prince is short" joke at the Globes, I couldn't help but remember that line from the US Open tennis tournament years back when a fan screamed down to Jimmy Connors "He's a punk, you're a legend!"

John Mayer is picking and John Legend is plunking along to the soothing strains of Corrine Rae Bailey. She's gorgeous. Now John Legend is singing-- this is guy is classic-- if you can play the piano and sing like that, there will always be a place for you. John Mayer closes it out for this super trio. Dude, lose Jessica Simpson and fast. She's sucking the credibility out of you faster than you can suck.... And Mayer wins a Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Album. I guess that's opposed to all those pop albums that are purely instrumentals. "Waiting On The World To Change" was a great song-- one of the best of the year for sure. You just know Jessica's ass-hat of a dad is sooo hoping they become a real couple. Mayer would then enter into his stable of artists and make him an actual legit player on the music scene. Is there anything worse than wanna-be hanger-ons? Yeah, wanna-be hanger-on parents! Joe Simpson might be number one on my list of people I don't know whom (yes, I said "whom") I'd like to fight.
"Those are double D's, you can't cover those suckers up!" Hello? Dude, that's your daughter.... have fun in hell. I mean, who is it out there that you want to like you so bad that you'll sell out your own children???? You suck, Joe.

Shakira and Wyclef just sang "Hips Don't Lie".... Wow it seems like that song came out the same year as "Roxanne" doesn't it? Shakira is doing that hip-shake thing again.... it works every time. I believe sexy is indeed back.

A guy who used to live two blocks from me just won a Grammy!!!!! Dan Wilson, lead singer of Minneapolis band Semisonic ("Closing Time"), just won the Grammy for Song of the Year, for penning "Not Ready To Make Nice" with The Dixie Chicks. Wilson lives in a gorgeous house in the Kenwood area of Minneapolis, two blocks from my not-so-gorgeous apartment. His house had a huge picture window looking in on the living room and you could see a massive grand piano in the corner. He's on stage with them right now accepting the award, I wonder how many viewers have a clue he's the same guy who sang "Closing Time". He's got a much anticipated solo effort coming out this spring.

My big NBA theory: The foreigners own us. If the NBA did a USA vs. The World All-Star game, let's face it, the Yanks would get cranked. One more piece of evidence is on display tonight: Bull forward Luol Deng, who was born in The Sudan (I don't know how come Sudan, like Ohio State and Hague, gets the "The" prefix, but it does).

In the first half tonight Deng, in his third season out of Duke, led all scorers with 16 points and tied Sun Shawn Marion for most rebounds, with six. He was also the only player in the game to play all 24 minutes. Deng isn't the shooter that Ben Gordon is (almost no one is), but he caan create a lot of ways for himself to score. He's sort of Chicago's Shawn Marion in a slightly longer, leaner body.

Currently, with 6:09 to play in the third, Deng still leads all scorers with 22 points. And I don't think he's come out yet. Excuse me, come out of the game yet. In this week of John Amaechi, I need to communicate clearly.

Lou Holtz is here!

And here's my dilemma. I brought a camera, but I have the crappiest haircut. Do I still go and try for the photo op?

Hey, you may hate Lou, but he saved my college football-watching career. I spent two years at Notre Dame watching the Irish look criminally average under Gerry Faust ( a saint of a man, but too nice to coach college football ). Holtz rescued us. So you can go ahead and be a hater, Mark May, but I LOUVE LOU.

Okay, I'm going.

So, as you know by now, I'm here at U.S. Airways Center watching the 1993 NBA Finals. And that means I cannot be watching the Grammys.

Fortunately for you, I have a good friend who knows a lot more about music than I do and is funnier than I am (those two qualities hardly put him in a select group). Anyway, please welcome Billy Hubbell . By day (actually, by night), Billy works for a very, very large and influential cable sports broadcasting company located in a God-forsaken part of central Connecticut. But Billy's real passion--other than Rachel McAdams-- is music.

Each year, if you're lucky enough to know Billy, you receive a collection of Billy's favorite music from that year. Not a CD. Rather, about 25 CDs of his mixes. And he usually provides his own liner notes. It's insane, but it's fantastic. Rolling Stone writer Rob Sheffield (who happens to be my four favorite writers at RS) recently wrote a book entitled "Love is a Mix Tape". I cannot wait to read it. Billy already has. Which is only right. Billy is the king of mix tape/mix CD makers that I know.

Anyway, here's the first of his Grammy dispatches:

ROXANNE'S RED LIGHT HAS TURNED GREEN AGAIN

The Police open up with "Roxanne". For you kids out there, The Police
were a band that your parents used to make out to in high school and
your mom would pretend her boyfriend was Sting. Ever since then Sting
has been refusing to age and having tantric sex for hours on end. The
other two guys, Andy Summers and Stuart Copeland, look like they've been
doing nothing but age since we last saw them. You have to feel a little
bad for them, both accomplished musicians who the world sort of looks at
as glorified Andrew Ridgleys. The kids who are put in the very front
section to freak out aren't really freaking out because none of them
were born when this song was a hit.

Jamie Foxx starts out his hosting gig with a predictable, "Snoop left
when he heard the police were going to start things off."
First Grammy of the night goes to Tony Bennett and Stevie Wonder for
best collaboration. Wow, now the kids are going berserker! Not. Okay,
kids, Sting and his Police buddies used to make out to Stevie Wonder
when they were in high school. Tony Bennett led a huge battalion of
soldiers and overcame a severe chest wound to lead the north to victory
in the famous Civil War "Battle of San Francisco".
The Dixie Chicksperform "Not Ready To Make Nice", their "We still hate
Bush" (George W, not Gwen's hubby) anthem.
Prince is on stage for 40 seconds to introduce Beyonce. What's with
Prince being so normal all the sudden? Sitting at the Golden Globes like
just another famous person, playing the Super Bowl half-time show and
now giving an intro for somebody else?
Beyonce destroys, performing "Listen" from "Dreamgirls".....Sorry, Dixie Chicks, but watching Beyonce in that dress, the rest of us are absolutely "ready to make nice"!It's not
really fair to be that gorgeous and that talented is it? We may have
lost Anna Nicole, but we still have Beyonce.
Mary J. Blige wins best R&B album, besting Prince, who, sitting behind
her, is the first to jump up and clap. Too weird.

I've typed it before, but if anyone evetr forms an Oasis air band, Steve Nash needs to play the role of Liam Gallagher. Tonight he's wearing leather boots, blue jeans and a sports coat.

And, because bench space is so limited, Nash is actually sitting in the second row. The Suns, like many franchises, now sell Nicholson seats (courtside seats located in between the scorer's table and the team bench). So bench space for players is limited.

So, to review, there are six knuckleheads (wealthy knuckleheads, but knuckleheads nonetheless) sitting alongside the Sun bench, but the league's two-time reigning MVP is not. Perhaps he prefers it that way, but I hope I'm not the only one who finds this egregious.

By the way, in case you're wondering, seated immediately to Nash's right is a security goon and immediately to his left a water cooler. So, left to right that would be cooler, coolest, security goon.

Sorry, but I never cease being amazed at the sight of Nash. Watching him lurk around the huddle during a timeout, he looks like some Hollywood poser who must have a friend on the Suns who's gotten him this VIP access. Then, watching him seated, you're just blown away by how relatively (stress "relatively") lean and diminutive he is. The security guard dwarfs him. Hell, so does the water cooler.

But then you look up at the scoreboard and see that Phoenix is about to go down by nine with two minutes remaining in the first quarter--remember, this is a team that has yet to lose a GAME by more than nine points all season--and you are reminded how--what's the word?-- valuable he is.

Find myself at the Chicago Bulls-Phoenix Suns game this evening.

First, you should know that STEVE NASH will not play tonight. Canadians. They're so soft.

Anyway, with Mr. MVPMVP out of action this evening (and here's some statistical back-up for those trophies: with Nash, the Suns are 151-49 [.755] and without him they are 4-10 [.286] since he joined the club in the summer of 2004), the story line becomes the battle between the two best sixth men in the NBA: Chicago's Ben Gordon and Phoenix's Leandro Barbosa . Gordon is the Bulls' leading scorer (21.1 ppg) while the speedy Barbosa averages 16.6, fourth-best on the Suns.

Gordon's career-high scoring game? Last month against Phoenix he blowed up for 41, but Phoenix won when Barbosa hit a cold-as-ice three from about three feet beyond the arc at the top of the key with a Bull all over him. Suns 97, Bulls 96 that night.

Because of injuries, both Gordon and Barbosa will start tonight.

Just made some calls to agents of would-be free agents and, so far, the Bengals haven't said anything to Jack Bechta, the agent for guard Eric Steinbach.

There's little chance of Steinbach getting franchised. The tag number for offensive linemen is $9.556 million. But the 26-year-old is going to be in line for a big, fat deal whether it be in Cincy or elsewhere because he's young, versatile (he played center and left tackle in a pinch in 2006) and durable.

Most likely, the Bengals are trying to hammer things out with soon-to-be-free agent Justin Smith before moving on to Steinbach. It would seem unlikely Steinbach's going anywhere.

Know who takes a gut shot in the hiring of Wade Phillips?

Tony Sparano. The Cowboys 45-year-old offensive line coach/running game coordinator/assistant head coach/playcaller last year for Bill Parcells might have ascended to the offensive coordinator spot if Norv Turner was hired.

Not gonna happen now. Jason Garrett, the former Boys backup quarterback who was hired away from the Dolphins last month is going to be the offensive coordinator under Phillips unless something changes drastically.

There was no guarantee Sparano would have gotten the OC job under Turner. But Turner, as an ESPN.com story pointed out, had misgivings about Garrett's readiness and likely would have taken the reins to the offense himself of handed them to Sparano before letting Garrett grab them.

So now Garrett gets the title and the salary that goes with it while the more seasoned Sparano likely takes on the chore of breaking Garrett in.

Sparano keeps getting screwed. Last year, former Cowboys assistant Sean Payton tried to hire Sparano as the Saints OC when Payton got the New Orleans job. Bill Parcells quashed that idea. The Browns wanted to talk to Sparano about replacing Maurice Carthon as their OC. Uh-uh. And the Chargers were said to have interest in Sparano to replace Cam Cameron but that's not going to happen either.

Hostage crisis in Big D!

NEVER TOO EARLY

From "Bodog" which somehow got my e-mail address and sends me gambling lines out the ying and the yang, here are the odds to win the 2007 Super Bowl.

Cardinals: 50-1
Falcons: 35-1
Ravens: 12-1
Bills: 50-1
Panthers: 15-1
Bears: 8-1
Bengals: 12-1
Browns: 100-1
Cowboys 20-1
Lions: 90-1
Packers: 60-1
Colts: 7-1
Jags: 25-1
Chiefs: 25-1
Dolphins: 35-1
Vikings: 70-1
Patriots: 10-1
Saints: 15-1
Giants: 18-1
Jets: 25-1
Raiders: 60-1
Eagles: 12-1
Steelers: 15-1
Chargers: 6-1
Niners: 80-1
Seahawks 15-1
Rams: 50-1
Bucs: 80-1
Titans: 35-1
Skins: 45-1

Want two horses that are dark? Jets and Cardinals.

NEWS YOU DIDN'T NEED

What's next, Bobby and Oliver?

Hey check this out. Great recap of Super Bowl, Miami, and all the peeps who took the time to talk with us.

Um... my blog has been a little slow the last few days. I admit it, I've been a slacker. There, I'll call myself out on it.

It's definitely taken me a few days to recover from the Super Bowl. That was such an intense go-go-go experience. At one point towards the end of the week, I was buying something and while standing at the counter, I almost passed out because for the first time in a few days, I actually slowed down. Everyone I've talked to has slept amazing the last few days. However just because football is over doesn't mean things slow down.

Back in NYC and back to work... I'm getting ready to head over to Union Square to cover the Union Square Street Sessions. If you are a fan of snowboarding, come on over. It should be really cool. Starts at 3 and goes for a couple or hours. I'm also shooting this weeks Fantasy Football and Baseball shows out there. I'll be all by my lonesome because our buddy Gregg is off on a much needed vacation. Hopefully he has a good time hanging out with his soon to be inlaws. Fly safe!!!

There's something poetic about the day's top game featuring Dick Vitale (UNC-Duke) while the day's top news story featured a diaper-clad astronaut.

Or, heretofore, if I were writing the headlines for the New York Post, "Ass-tro-not!"

I get the insane jealousy, the wig and even the b.b. gun. It's the adult diaper angle that I just cannot fathom. You're telling me you cannot coordinate your gas stop with your potty breaks? That you'd rather wear a Depends and then clean that up later? On the other hand, as a man maybe I just lack the proper level of compassion. As a man I can always jus take the empty Big Gulp cup or liter bottle and deposit waste into it while I'm driving (I mean, that's what I hear people do when, say, they're driving I-95 and they're late for a wedding).

But this was just jealousy festering. That couldn't wait another half hour? And, by the way, I drove from Salt Lake City to Butte, Mont., yesterday and only took one potty break. I was able to apprehend the object of my delirious rage with no problem at all. Why? Because I had exact change at the drive-thru and thus was able to overcome the delay caused by the potty break.

Did you catch the Tar Heel-Blue Devil game, by the way? Certainly not the best starting fives either school has put on the floor, but the energy throughout the contest was terrific. Just a fun game to watch. And tonight their distaff versions, both still undefeated, meet up. Good week to be hanging out in the Research Triangle.

LONG DRY SEASON

Peyton Manning became the 26th different quarterback to win a Super Bowl. He did so after starting 144 regular season games. John Elway is the only QB to start more before winning his first. Elway started 219 before getting his ring. Manning was also the 21st quarterback to win the Super Bowl.

THEY'RE NO. 1

Fifteen QBs have been drafted first overall in the Super Bowl era. Manning, Terry Bradshaw and Troy Aikman are the only ones to lead the team that took them to a Super Bowl win.

NO PRESCRIPTION FOR SUCCESS

The Colts became the 16th team to have three turnovers in the Super Bowl and they became just the second three-turnover team to win joining the Steelers from Super Bowl XIII.

HAPPY RETURNS

Devin Hester became the first player to return a kickoff for a touchdown and the eighth to return a kickoff for a TD overall Colts corner Kelvin Hayden's interception return for a score was the 10th in Super Bowl history. A player from a losing team has never returned a pick for a score.

POINT POORLY TAKEN

The team that scored first has lost five of the last six Super Bowls and is 3-7 in the last 10.

TOE-TAL SUCCESS

The previous record for postseason field goals was nine shared by Steve Christie, John Kasay and Chuck Nelson. Adam Vinatieri killed that record by kicking 14 in this postseason.

SHARE THE GRIEF

Starting with the Bills' Super Bowl loss in 1993, 14 different franchises have lost the Super Bowl without a repeat loser (Bills, Chargers, Steelers, Patriots, Packers, Falcons, Titans, Giants, Rams, Raiders, Panthers, Eagles, Seahawks, Bears).

STEPPING OUT
Colts running backs Joseph Addai and Dominic Rhodes combined for 264 yards from scrimmage. The only other duo to each top 120 yards were Wendell Tyler and Roger Craig for the Niners in Super Bowl XIX.

SEC-Y

Peyton Manning was the first quarterback from an SEC school to win a Super Bowl since Ken Stabler won for the Raiders in Super Bowl XI. Stabler went to Alabama as did the other winning SEC QBs, Bart Starr and Joe Namath.

CRAZY 8's

Manning was the first quarterback to wear the number 18. Rex Grossman, who defiled No.8 has put that digit on a two-game Super Bowl losing streak (Matt Hasselbeck wore it too) after the digit went 4-0 behind Troy Aikman and Steve Young.

OUTSIDERS

The Colts became the first "dome' team to win a championship game or Super Bowl contested outdoors.

Monday night and there wasn't much going on in Manhattan so I headed out to Logan, Utah. Seemed like a good idea to me.

So I find myself at the New Mexico State-Utah State men's hoops contest on the Utah State campus and this game is WhACk. Aggies versus Aggies, so we'll go by NMSU and USU.

You probably--like me--know little about either team but you should. Since head coach Stew Morrill's second season here in 2000, USU has won 28, 28, 23, 24, 25, 24 and 23 games per season. That's an average of 25 wins per season over the last seven years. That's pretty dang tremendous, especially for a guy named Stew.

Only three programs have a higher win % during that period--and I don't know who they are. Plus, USU has a sweet-shooting junior guard named Jaycee Carroll who looks like he should be starting for Hickory High. Carroll is averaging 20 points per game--though he has a career-high 35 tonight with 7:36 to play-- and is shooting 89.9% from the free throw line. The young man has game.

On the opposite side line, we have NMSU head coach Reggie Theus. After three seasons as the head coach at Deering High in "Hang Time" Theus, one of only seven players in NBA history to top both 19,000 points and 6,000 rebounds (he's in pretty rare company: Havlicek, The Big O, Stockton, The Glove, Clyde the Glide and Jerry West), is in his second season at NMSU. And he has his squad at 18-4, though it's looking as if it's about to be 18-5.

The toughest part about Reggie Theus is that, even at 49 years old, he's still devilishly handsome. And the students here at The Spectrum are riding him for it. They've printed out posters of a topless Theus (the photo is easily found by Googling Reggie) and are proudly displaying them. Five students in the front row behind one basket have a sign that reads "Reggie Theus Lookalike Contest" and are all topless, greased-up, and mustached. For extra effect they've Sharpie'd in ripped abdominal muscles.

Insult to injury: As USU takes a 65-52 lead with 5:00 remaining, a "Stew is hotter" chant has begun in the student section.

I love this place.

The Super Bowl copped out by giving Peyton Manning the MVP mainly because he's the only Indianapolis Colt that everybody knows. But we here at the Super Bowl Ad Blog aren't going to make that same mistake. So, because we didn't see one commercial tonight that we'd be likely to remember tomorrow (much less talk about), we're not going to hand out a Best Commercial Trophy (and we'll keep the Cadillac for ourselves for another year).

A few closing thoughts:

--I bet that tool Pierce from the SalesGenie.com ads wears Van Heusen T-shirts.

--Was it just me or when they first panned in to the trophy podium did you have "Wizard of Oz" flashbacks? Didn't it remind you of the scene at the end where the wizard takes off and leaves Dorothy behind?

--It's easy to like Tony Dungy and Lovie Smith. By the way, I too would rather be known first as a Christian than as a Caucasian. In case you ever ask me about it.

--You'd think the folks at Cadillac would know by now that pro athletes only want Escalades. If you're going to give a Cadillac away as MVP booty, make sure it's a Caddy that players would use to make booty calls. Not that Peyton would do that.

--I think someone at CBS is in HUGE trouble for not remembering to pack Jim Nantz's rain slicker.

--The Taco Bell lions and the Flomax guys should party together. That would be an ad I'd like to see.

not warming up.

Grossman keeps on trotting out there wondering if there are any other vacations out there left to ruin for Bears fans.

not warming up.

Grossman keeps on trotting out there wondering if there are any other vacations out there left to ruin for Bears fans.

...I missed the Flomax commercial because I was off taking a wizz.

Flomax: One-Week: $$$$

Did anyone else notice that a urinary tract ad showed men paddling down a very weak stream?

ETrade: One Finger: $$
I actually did miss this one. I was still laughing at the Flomax ad.

CareerBuilder.com: Survival of the Fittest: $$

Part three gives us perhaps the first television wedgie ever aired during a Super Bowl. I fully expect that right before the next Hunter Smith punt Jim Nantz will say, "We've had a wedgie ad, but we've still never had a punt returned for a touchdown in a Super Bowl."

By the way, kids, one way to not have a job that sucks (other than signing on with a headhunter dot-com) is to actually pay attention in school. Or form a kick-ass rock band. That's the sermon for today.

Hewlett-Packard: Orange County Choppers: $$

Boring but at least they didnt' try to be cute.

Budweiser Select: Shula vs. Jay-Z: zero

How many people watching know who both Don Shula and Jay-Z are? And then they have Jay-Z win this bizarre high-concept football game? The only thing that might have salvaged this disaster is if, after Jay-Z won on the blown back field goal, Shula had said, "I let you win out of respect for Black History Month."

That ad should be shown to marketing classes as an example of everything not to do in a commercial.

Kelvin Hayden probably just sealed this one. With Hayden playing well off of Muhsin Muhammad, Rex Grossman pumped to Muhammad who was running a stop and go. Hayden barely reacted but Grossman threw it anyway and Hayden made an easy play on the ball returning it for the touchdown and the 29-17 lead.

Shoulda gone with Griese.

bloggy stomach to know that, after total domination, they could wind up trailing if Chicago strings together a drive.

Course that hold doesn't help Chi...

Budweiser: Crabs: $

You think "case" and "crabs" and you don't necessarily think of crustaceans hauling a whole bunch of beers across the sand. You think, I really should have gotten her last name.

Prudential: A Rock: $

Someone, tell me, did this happen? You went to the kitchen to get a refreshment, so you could only hear this ad. And you kept hearing "Iraq" instead of "A rock". "Iraq can have a lot of meanings."

Honda: CRV: $
Elivs, a dance floor, and an SUV. That's the sound of $2.6 million flowing down the drain. The shots of the vehicle were so far away that you couldn't even identify it.

The Bears continue to survive Grossman. A shoulda-been pick was broken up on third down by Muhsin Muhammad which preserved the field goal attempt from 42 yards that Robbie Gould made.

This performance by Grossman has been a worst-case scenario for Bears fans. Would you put Griese in? I would put Griese in. You're down 5 with 16 minutes left in the Super Bowl and your quarterback's shown no signs of being capable of putting together a drive in the game's first 45 minutes.

The bet is they go down with the ship.

Pretty sweet coincidence. Fed Ex ad runs during the same commercial break as a Kevin Federline spot. When his nickname as of the last two months is Fed-Ex. I take pleasure in the smallest things. On to the ads:

Toyota: Ain't No Picnic: $$
These ads are ripe for parody. Listen, half the people buying big pickup trucks are more worried about over-compensating then being able to stop on a dime with a 10,000-pound load. Why not test-drive for whether the chicks are checking out your ride when you pull into the parking lot of Z Tejas?

Emerald Nuts: Robert Goulet: $
The Robert Goulet random appearance schtick is old and done. Nothing against Robert Goulet, but we've all seen it.

Fed Ex: Ground: $$
Sorry, I wasn't paying attention. Still was musing over whether Barkley hit on the woman who played the waitress in the T Mobile ad.

Nationwide: Federline VIP: $
See, we're supposed to be laughing at Federline cuz he's a fraud as a rapper who's better-suited to being a fast food fry cook. But the joke's on us cuz K-Fed got some sweet coin for doing that ad. So there's a little irony for you.

Bud Light: But He's Got an Axe: $$$$

I confess to being fickle. I ripped the "Face Slap" ad for seeming like we'd seen it all before, and this one has those same elements. Still, it was good comedy. And the follow-up, the dude with the chain saw? Sweet. This is what happens when you see the trailer to "Hitcher" too many times.

By the way, typing "chain saw" made me think of Jessica Biel (okay, there are no fewer than 3,000 words that, when I type them, make me think of Jessica Biel), but isn't she dangerously underexposed? I mean, no TV show? No movies out right now? Outside of being spotted with Derek Jeter or making Cameron Diaz insanely jealous, she's not really keeping as busy as she should be at this point in her career.

Before this Bears drive, Chicago had run 23 offensive plays, the Colts, 63.

All that and, amazingly, a TD and two-point conversion would make it 22-22.

Don't see it happening, but I'm just sayin.

Close to putting a fork fimly in the backs of the Bears...they've worn down this Bears defense in the same way they chewed up New England with a more than 2-to-1 time of possession advantage...it's 30 minutes to 12 right now in TOPand the Bears defense is getting blown off the ball.

The Taco Bell lions could so kick the Bud Light gorillas asses.

Careerbuilder.com: Survival of the Fittest: $$

Okay, building on the theme and smartly. The "You're just the delivery guy" line was smart, and the Spielbergian "Saving Private Ryan" camera work was inspired. It's growing on me

Taco Bell: Lions: $$$
The "carne" speak sounded authentically like two college guys sitting on the couch, watching the game, with a pleasant little buzz going. Which is exactly what the people who created this commercial were going for. Like the lions.

Van Heusen: Our Guy: zero
You do one TV ad a year and you basically hire a Michael Vartan look-alike to act all suave and stuff? Again, some of these ads look like they're from the last time the Bears were in the Super Bowl (as do the musicians--Prince? Gloria Estefan?)

ETrade: Bank Robbers: $$$
Love it! See, the bank is getting away with robbery. Nice touch with the "Lady, don't try to be a hero."

Coke: Machine Magic: $$
This is what happens when you leave everthing to the guys in the art department.

Bud Light: Gorillas: $
Gorillas are the new frogs

Revlon: Sheryl Crow: $$
Never a bad idea to give Sheryl Crow face time. But Revlon should have had this idea a dozen years ago with Roy Orbison.

My editor, Barry, just asked how come CBS has yet to show a Doppler shot of the area above Joe Robbie Pro Player Stadium Park yet? For my part I would like to hear Jim and Phil at least discuss the impact of the rain on the game. I don't know, maybe it might be a factor in a turnover or two. I mean, if there were any fumbles in this game.

We're watching this game, too, and we can tell that it's raining pets down there in south Florida. Barry predicts they'll never have an outdoor Super Bowl again. Me, I love the weather factor. This is the way football was meant to be played. Besides, knowing that David Spade is getting drenched and at this moment looks like a wet rat is enough to satisfy me. Why won't CBS go back to him?

Finally, Phil says, "And, Jim, it has not stopped raining."

And Jim just says matter-of-factly, "No, it's been steady throughout."

Great analysis, men. Okay, to Phil's credit he just added that in this weather the Bears should pressure Peyton even more. But it's Nantz's job, as maestro of the telecast, to return to this theme more than once. The rain is obviously a huge factor. Nantz needs to do more than just quip, "It gave Prince the opportunity to perform 'Purple Rain' in a driving rain."

Leave lame lines like that to me, Jim. You're getting paid to do real commentary.

Has been the key for Indy. They just picked up a key one on third-and-8 on a checkdown pass to Ben Utecht that moved the ball inside the Chicago 40 and now, after a handoff to Addai, they're at the Chi 27.

The Bears fromt is getting handled pretty well.

Ryan Lilja just had his helmet pried off and discarded by Brian Urlacher ...no call.

Once Prince descended into medley mode, I thought that he was doing a quasi Black History Month tribute (Jimi Hendrix, Ike & Tina Turner), but then he decided to cover a Foo Fighters song. And not actually a classic. Then again, Prince is so prolific maybe he wrote "The Best of You", too. I should check that out.

Ahhhhhhhhhh, now he's doing "Purple Rain". Yes, Prince is still great and so is "Purple Rain". That song came out right after my senior year of high school, 1984. And it only took 23 years for the NFL to get hip enough to discover it. Buck up, Panic at the Disco! Halftime of Super Bowl LXXIV is all yours!

One loyal reader just asked: How short do those dancer chicks have to be to wear stiletto heels and still be the same height as Prince? Excellent question.

In case you're wondering, Katie Couric will be featuring me this week in her "Can Do!" segment on CBS News. My special Can Do! talent is blogging while eating BBQ ribs simultaneously. Way tougher than playing the guitar riff from "Let's Go Crazy" in a rainstorm.

They lead...Chicago is dodging bullets right now. The only play from scrimmage the Bears have is Thomas Jones' 52 yard run to set up the touchdown pass to Muhammad. Other than that, they've been inconsequential on offense. Indy is in a semi-groove offensively and you have to be encouraged if you're a Colts fan at the way things are going.

Now for a 26-minute halftime. No lie....26 minutes.

...happens during the shortest month of the year? BECAUSE THAT'S THE WAY THE MAN WANTS IT!

Tostitos: Black History Month: $$
Right now I'm washing down some Tostitos with a Coke.

Coke: I've Never Done That Before: $$$$
Great idea, great execution. The tattoo. The "I've always loved you." They could have used some bizarre joke, like for example him flossing for the first time. Or, in honor of Black History Month, he could have been watching Bernie Mac. Oh, well, still great.

CBS promo thoughts: Brooke Shields has man arms. She's still gorgeous, but she might wanna think long sleeves....I don't know if "Rules of Engagement" will last a year, but the lines, "I'll be doing whatever I want to do, all the time" and "So we compromised and got a cat" are pretty good.

Considering the conditions in Miami at the moment, is Prince going to alter the set list to include "Purple Rain"? I'm thinking right now he's going to do "Let's Go Crazy" and "1999". Because that's what you do in halftime shows. But if he does "Kiss", "Little Red Corvette" or Purple Rain", I'll get delirious.

Wondering how everyone who donates to the American Heart Association feels about how they just spent $2.6 million...

1. Bud Light: Face Slap: $$
Clever, but these are the sort or ads we've been seeing from beer companies for years. Funny, guy-ish, but I've seen it all before.

2. American Heart Association: Beatyourrisk.com, $$
Heart ailments equal organized crime. Aorta know better than that.

3. GM Warranty: All By Myself: $
Didn't get it. Then again, maybe I was busy typing.

4. Coke: Black History Month: $$
Simple and sincere. Then again, this ad is the front-runner for "Kissing Up" ad of the night.

Also, we've now seen David Spade in a CBS promo and live tonight. How'd you like his raincoat? My first thought is, That's not the kind of protection Spade is used to wearing. My second, So that's the opposite of "Fat guy in a little coat".

5. Sprint: Connectile Dysfunction: $$$
Bad puns and cheasy (cheap + easy) jokes. I should be working for an ad agency.

Prince doesn't get electrocuted.

If CBS would kick in a weather report somewhere along the line.

It's now raining harder than it has since the game started.

The upside to this is that, for everyone who ever assailed the NFL for giving away its tickets to corporate interests and not real fans, the corporatos are getting rained on. And they're leaving their seats in droves.

So far the best acting I've seen has been by the dog in the Bud ad and the mouse in the Blockbuster ad. And David Letterman....

1. Budweiser: Lucky Dog: $$$
See? Every dog does have his day. And that pooch played forlorn better than anyone on "Desperate Housewives" could.

2. Garmin: Japanese Monster Fight: $$
I get it, I think. Map versus Satellite. Just too much going on in too little time.

3. CareerBuilder.com: Survivor Mode: $$
Could you tell what he was yelling? Me neither.

4. Dorito's: Checkout Counter: $$$
"Nacho cheese? Old school!" Nice, easy to relate to, and the "We need a cleanup on register six" was a good kicker.

5. Chevy HHR: Getting Hot in Here: $
I know this ad was created by a college freshman, but it wasn't for me. The topless men in this ad should party with the gals from GoDaddy.com. When the woman in the car said, "Just tell me when this is over", I couldn't have agreed more.

Two ads between the first and second quarters:

GoDaddy.com: Marketing: $

Hot chicks dancing like porn stars. This is like a comedian using the F-word to get a laugh. Cheap and easy: cheasy. Just a worthless ad.

Coke: Give A Little Love: $$$$
So I'm sappy. So kill me. Clever idea, spinning off a Grand Theft Auto video game feel, but giving an uplifting image while having the character do the kind of walkabout that's often seen in well-choreographed movie musicals. Like "Singing in the Rain".

Because of the weather, the team that first strikes some kind of uneasy peace with the elements will likely be tehe one to seize control of this game.

It's hard to say either team's on the verge of doing that although the Bears would be the better bet to do so given they are more accustomed to playing in the elements.

In related news, the first quarter is entering its fourth hour and I need a shave.

Chevrolet: People Who Love Cars: $$$
I didn't dig all of it, but there was something about Dale, Jr., just driving on the open road singing the jingle that got to me.

Bud Light: English Class: $$
It doesn't bug me personally, but isn't this about eight different kinds of politically incorrect.

Meanwhile, we're not grading CBS promos, but the Letterman-Oprah bit was the best thing so far tonight. The only thing that would have improved it is if Uma Thurman was lying on the carpet in front of them, as if she was their little Lisa Simpson.

Wow! Cedric Benson just got popped! You can't tackle better than Indianapolis' Bob Sanders just did. How many turnovers is that already? Three? And we're still in the first quarter?

Indy's misfired twice on special teams (TD and botched hold), twice on offense (pick and a fumble) and once on defense (52 yard run by Tommy Jones).

Throw in the fact Tony Dungy's wearing a turtleneck and sweater vest in a downpour and you've got six blunders in the first 10:33.

MIAMI - First off, the weather is having a huge impact. On third-and-10, Peyton Manning -- under heavy duress -- heaved a pass downfield for Reggie Wayne. For reasons as yet unknown, Charles Tillman let Wayne go unchecked through the secondary and it was an easy touchdown. For Manning to see it while under duress was a terrific play.

The Colts followed by botching the extra point when the snap went through holder Hunter Smith's hands.

Now Bears backup tight end Gabe Reid fumbled the squib kickoff....and the Colts fumble the handoff as Alex Brown hit Joe Addai as the ball was handed off.

Mercy. There's goes Tommy Jones for 52 to the Colts 5.

Some guy said this was going to be a sloppy game. Wonder who.

AHEM!

Our first four $$$$ ad of the night, the Bud Light Auctioneer. Simple, yet clever.

Quick Rundown

1. Toyota: 40 to 70: $$$
Reminded me of the Jackass episode I saw last night in which the dude tried to jump a sewage ditch on a bike.

2. FedEx: Moon Office: $
FedEx gets points off because they've set the bar so high in the past and, second, the background music was, I believe, the opening of "The Final Countdown". That or the CBS sports music. They sound alike.

3. Bud Light: Auctioneer: $$$$
We all love wedding receptions. But we all have to sit through the wedding ceremony first and wish it would hurry the hell up. Universal application. In autumn of 2005 I went to my friend Dave's weddding, which occurred while Notre Dame was playing BYU. Two of my buddies brought pocket-size TVs into the church. And these are Catholic boys.
Me, I just asked one of them to switch to "Gilmore Girls". Didn't need the game on both screens.

4. Snickers: Chest Hair: $
So there have already been two ads going for the man-hair joke and neither had anything to do with hair-care or shaving. Did you notice how--coincidentally?--the following ad was for a razor?

Right now. Unless of course it is his "time." Hmmmm. The All-22 look just confirmed that Harris, who picked off Manning, didn't go with the inside route run to complement Harrison's sideline go pattern meaning that he would be available to help on any deep passes. And he was.

Devin Hester just scored on the game-opening kickoff.

So, if you're keeping score, the college and NFL championship games of 2007 began with kickoffs returned for a touchdown. Ted Ginn, Jr., ran one back 93 yards for Ohio State, who ultimately lost 41-14 to Florida. Now Hester of the Bears has run one back. I'm still checking the yardage.

Manning has thrown two passes thus far, both of which were intercept-able. He's 0-2 to begin.

I love, by the way, that CBS did not go to commercial after Hester's TD. We went right to the next kickoff. That never even happens in the regular season. What's going on? I'm not complaining, I'm just wondering.

And now, on his third pass, Peyton's been picked. It's VERY early, but the Colts (two penalties on their first offensive drive of three four plays) have done nothing right so far.

Dorito's: Live The Flavor: $$

Kids, today's word is "Cheesy". Can you say, "Cheesy"?

Blockbuster: Live Mouse: $$

Animals and children. We've already exploited both and the Bear offense has yet to take the field. When I saw this ad I had the same thought that you did: Blockbuster video is still around?

Sierra Mist Free: Beard Combover: $$$

Simple, but who doesn't love bad man hair?

Salesgenie.com: Pierce: $
Where is this ad from? 1985?

Sierra Mist: Karate: $$

Oh, so it's Michael Ian Black night. Sierra Mist is throwing all of its weight behind the guy who lost out on The Late Late Show hosting job to Craig Ferguson.

Devin Hester just harpooned the bets of thousands who took Marvin Harrison or anyone else to score the first touchdown, going 92 yards.

And Manning has so far narrowly avoided two picks, the Colts have jumped offsides twice and the only action Indy's gotten is with Joseph Addai.

The weather is having an impact as shown by Marvin Harrison falling down on the third play.

Now Manning's gotten picked because he didn't look off safety Chris Harris before throwing downfield.

MIAMI - The season started for me in earnest around July 20. At the time, I was still writing for the Providence Journal and NBCSports.com didn't exist yet.

In the time between then and now, I've watched a lot of football, spoken to hundreds of players and coaches, formed opinions and had them proven wrong and watched for six months what I think is the most compelling sport of strategy and physicality. Over that time, as it happens, you get burned a little bit and then reignited.

After spending seven nights in Miami building up to this game and seven more before that, I just wanted the damn thing to start.

But I will say this, the anthem and the flyover made the hair on the back of my neck stand up, sent chills down my spine and left them there for at least a minute.

It reminded me that after six months, a lot of airplane miles and possibly a million keystrokes, it's good to let it wash over you.

Da Colts came out to Won't Get Fooled Again by Da Who.

I just meant to use my phone to tape the teams coming out but, as with several things, that plan crashed on the rocks and sank.

The gentleman to my left, JA Adande of the LA Times said that taping the stands during the kickoff when the flashbulbs go off is pretty cool. Thanks, JA!

Two ads so far and I haven't seen David Spade in any of them. So that's a plus.

Loved the piece at the end of the 16-hour pregame show cutting from family members of different players. Rex Grossman's mom is just adorable. I loved that Thomas Jones' li'l bro, Julius, wasn't too big-time to participate. Brian Urlacher's mom? Has that I'm a waitress at Stuckey's look.

Steve Tasker interviewing Tony Dungy. One question and he just nailed it. That's what Super Bowl experience will do for you.

On to the ads:

1. McDonald's: Ronald McDonald House: $$
How do you mock little children laughing and smiling? I just hope that none of them have SAG cards.

2. NFL Network: Chad Johnson's Super Bowl Party: $$$
Terrific. The strange bedfellows concept: Janet Reno, Jimmy Fallon (who used to appear in skits with Will Ferrell in which he portrayed Reno), Martha Stewart and David Beckham. This is what happens when the rest of your team is in jail on Super Bowl Sunday.

It's only 6:14 and my luck has already run out. David Spade appearing in ad for "Rules of Engagement".

3. Pizza Hut: Cheesy Bites: $
Outside of having Jessica Simpson, no big deal. Cheesy bites sounds like a Bridget Jones' nickname for a hickey.

--I'm watching the coin toss right now. Two thoughts: 1) It's so nice to see Dan Marino without him telling me how much weight he's lost (even though, Dan, I'll give it to you, you look great). 2) The refs have gone back to the white pants. Smart move, guys. You look like out-of-shape StairMaster dudes at the health club in the black pants.

4. Ford: New F Series: $

These Ford ads are boring the cheesy bites out of me. I'm beginning to understand why their stock has plummeted so dramatically.

MIAMI - The rain never really came. Dusk has dropped and the cloud cover appears to be breaking up. This blog doesn't think weather will be an issue.

I'm still buying on the Bears today. We'll see how that little prediction works out.

Super Bowl Sunday is here, and we all know that means just two words: Madison Avenue.

I'm blogging to you live from Mount Snow, Vermont, where I just survived two days of skiing without incurring a career-threatening injury to my blogging knee. And starting at 6 p.m. and continuing until Brian Urlacher hoists the MVP trophy (yeah, you heard me!), I'll be blogging on the game and the commercials. Each ad, which costs $2.6 million per 30 seconds of air time, will be rated on a one to four dollar signs figure to assess its worthiness.

So far, the big ad story of the pre-game is, "Who's salesgenie.com?" And what's up with all the Cirque du Soleil characters? That singer is giving me a major nelson.

I'll be back in a few for some serious commercial ranking.

Oh, and Go Iona! The winning streak currently stands at 1.

Super Bowl XLI.
Miami, Florida.
February 4, 2007.
Colts vs Bears.
Manning vs. Grossman.
Coach Tony Dungy or Lovie Smith will be the first African American Coach to win a Super Bowl Title.

All of the above are facts. The rest? Specluation, predictions, hunches, and some lucky guesses made by the so called experts.

So here's my speculation, prediciton, hunch and perhaps a lucky guess. Not that I consider myself an expert in any sort of capacity... but rather as a formality, I should at least blog before I go and watch the game right?

I observed quite a bit over the last week. Media Day was interesting in the sense that the energy between the two teams was different. The Bears were like little kids enjoying the fun and hype of a football game for the first time. Just excited to be here in Miami and in the Super Bowl. The Colts were more business and focused. They radiated a strong feeling that this was finally their time, they were due.

All the hype will finally be just that in a few hours, hype.
One team will win. One team will lose.
One quarterback will go down as a 'great' and one will be just 'good' until next time.
One coach will be the African American who did it first. The other will be the African American who couldn't get it done.

Both teams are easy to want to root for...which isn't always the case in a championship game. The Bears are by all accounts worthy of the spot they are in. They might not always win in the most thrilling blow out victory type of way. They might not have the most consistent quarterback. But they win. And all you need is a W at the end of the day. Grossman has faced such adversity throughout the season and yet he has marched back onto the field with a silent determination to get the job done, no matter what the obstacle. Plus the guy played at UF and as it has been named "The Year of the Gator" luck just might be in his favor. The Bears Defense is without doubt one of the fiercest in the NFL. And as you know, it is Defense's my friend that win Championships.

The Colts are in some way the Saints team of last year. Dungy lost his son only a year ago. After that happened, so many people wanted them to go all the way. Yet they were met with dissapointment in the end. This team is filled with a lot of heartache. At Media Day, Dungy spoke about how he wished his parents could be here. He even mentioned the last game his mom saw and the last game his father saw. He said that when Lovie went to the airport to pick up his parents, he wished that he could share that with his own. Reggie Wayne lost his brother in September. If asked about his brother, his eyes welled and he politely asked not to have to answer questions about it. Peyton Manning is the man who so many times almost got here but has missed out. His career is highlighted by record breaking stats yet lacks the one title that so many say qualify you as a 'great' player rather then a 'good' player. Its easy to want to root for the guy to finally get that ring.

So Colts or Bears? The celebs picked their favorites all week long, the sports guys yelled about it all week long, the fans have wished for it all week long. I'll simply write it. Bears 27- Colts 21. Here's to a good game, great company and even better commercials.

MIAMI - The official wallflowers for Super Bowl 41 are...

INDY WR Ricky Proehl, CB Tim Jennings, CB TJ Rushing, LB Gilbert Gardner, OT Matt Ulrich, OT Dan Federkeil, WR John Standeford, DE Ryan LaCasse.

CHICAGO: WR Justin Gage, QB Kyle Orton, S Tyler Everett, S Nick Turnbull, FB JD Runnels, LB Rod Wilson, C Anthony Oakley, DT Antonio Garay.

MIAMI - It's about to rain like a mommy. Seriously. Winds picked up - a cold wind - it's humid and completely gray. Meanwhile, the field's been uncovered all day so everybody can see the sweeet paint job laid down.

Bill Polian has lodged a complaint with assorted suits demanding that both God and/or Mother Nature be formally reprimanded for this incursion on his day.

The league is hesitant to haul God in but Polian pointed out - rightly - that he's got more clout. Developing...

MIAMI - This blog has never seen such a collegial atmosphere between two teams before a game.

Tony Dungy spent time talking with Bears offensive coordinator Ron Turner (brother of Norv) a few minutes ago. Then Colts coordinator Tom Moore and Turner flapped gums.

Currently, kickers Adam Vinatieri and Robbie Gould are sharing a moment.

It's warm enough here -- about 70ish. But there's complete cloud cover and it's pretty humid wit a sprinkle here and there but no real rain.

I haven't seen any players slip yet so the footing seems very good. The grass looks lush and rolling grass dryiers were being used about an hour ago.

What's a win worth today? $35,000. Winners each get $75K. Losers get $38K. Meanwhile, the wind has picked up a little in the past few minutes.

MIAMI - This blog is in his seat, Section 250, Row 5, Seat 8 in the Auxiliary Press Box...Auxiliary is a word derived from the latin "Aux" which means Outside and "Iliary" which means in the drizzle.

To borrow phrase that's been pummelled like a veal chop, "It dudn't get any better than this..."

Peyton Manning is on one knee at the 10-yard line along with quarterbacks coach Jim Caldwell.

At the other end of the field, is corner Nick Harper working out with a coach in front of a group of coaches. His left ankle is heavily taped.

He's moving without incident and I would expect he will play and be able to go full bore.

MIAMI BEACH - This blog went to a party at the Inter-Continental last night. I used to own several of them but sold them all because I felt they were too pretentious.

Anyway, it was a party put on by the Miami Host Committee and it was a terrific spread followed by a fireworks display that went on for 30 minutes

Being the shrewd traffic watcher I am, I bugged out about 20 minutes in to beat the traffic out of downtown. When I got down to the lobby I saw Dolphins defensive end Jason Taylor. Apparently, the NFL Defensive MVP was rented out for an appearance at a Bar Mitzvah. So were fellow Dolphins Wes Welker and Zach Thomas.

They left before 10 but weep not for the young fella whose party it was. Calvin Broadus was coming at 10 p.m. to give a private concert. That'd be the Snoop Dogg fella.

MIAMI BEACH - League officials are peeved at the NFL Hall of Fame selectors for bypassing Paul Tagliabue yesterday.

Some guys who were in the room Saturday as Tagliabue's candidacy was discussed said they could already feel the negative fallout coming from NFL officials for the Tagliabue snubbing.

"They were unconscious," said one. "They didn't even see the chance that he wouldn't get in. And when they did, they put on a full-court press but it wasn't going to change anything."

The sticking points with heft on Tagliabue are these:

1) The CBA pushed through last spring is being assailed by both small and big-market teams and the NFLPA may opt out of it when it can in 2008. That's a stain.

2) No franchise in L.A.

The one weak argument is that it's too soon. Pete Rozelle had to wait to get into the Hall, Tagliabue shouldn't be a first-ballot guy. My view on the first-ballot stuff is this. What's he going to do between now and then to enhance his candidacy? He's just eating cantelope and doing the Times crossword. If you want to hang it on the CBA, fine. But don't say it's "Too soon." How you gonna feel if he gets hit by a bus tomorrow but didn't get to enjoy a celebration of his professional life because there was some unwritten rule about first-ballots.

MIAMI BEACH - It's been raining all morning here in South Florida and the live shots we've seen from Dolphin Stadium show an uncovered field up in Fort Lauderdale where it's been raining as well.

That almost promises that the weather is going to be a factor this evening which has to favor the Bears.

Think about it: the Colts running game is predicated on a stretch play which asks Joseph Addai to run laterally, plant and cut upfield. The Colts defense is based on speed and - with less chance to gain traction - the Bears power running game will be going right at them. The Colts passing game is based on timing and precision and throwing to spots. Screw up the timing and precision at the line and you screw up the mechanism. Weather -- again -- impacts this kind of operation.

Super Bowl Saturday Night was a big deal down here. Fireworks, music, parties and people EVERYWHERE! So after the Playboy Red Carpet, I was ready to head back to South Beach. The American Airlines Arena wasn't a convenient spot for two reasons: A) Its across the bridge which means off of South Beach which means mega traffic on the way back. B) Its right on the water which means freezing cold which reminds Tiff of what life will be like when she goes back to Manhattan. (I know what your sarcastic little mind is thinking: boo hoo, life's so rough. I concur. Things could be worse.)

So I grabbed a cab and about 35 minutes later was able to hop out close enough to walk a "few blocks" to meet up with friends. Ummm... a block in Miami is nowhere near the same as say a block in NYC mmmkkkkk. My feet officially hate me and are considering a boycott against all heels forever.

Ocean Drive ... home of all the gorgeous people and things all week long looked a mess. Kind of had this Mardi Gras feel going on but replace Bourbon Street with Ocean Drive. The historic buildings with palm trees and sand. Take away the Creole and insert the Spanish. Instead of beads as accessory of choice, it was team jerseys. And the kicker: drunk people and trash littering the streets. I don't know if they had a parade or what, but I feel so bad for whoever is responsible for cleaning that up today. A lot of drunk people roaming the streets (this is around 1 AM mind you) and people chanting for their team. The Chicago Bears were well represented last night!

I made my way to the Versace Mansion where my girls somehow have the hook up. As Terrell Owens went in the front, I snuck in through the back doorway (complete with the sketchy alley and secret security). The mansion is everything you've heard and more. Its gorgeous. Absolutely gorgeous. Winding stairs take you up to multiple levels, there are fountains, ornate designs and decor, an amazing outdoor patio complete with a pool, bar and DJ. Upstairs there are couches and chairs, TV's and a slew of people. Important people. Famous people. Random people. It's pretty much awesome. And I'm pretty much exhausted.

The Playboy party started early. Here's a list of the people that I've run into during the night:

Danica Patrick
Ryan Howard
Joe Gannascoli (Vito Spatafore from The Sopranos)
Warren Moon
Alyssa Milano
Jeremy Piven (from Entourage)
Nas
Terrell Davis
Lil Jon
Tony Romo
Bunnies everywhere!

and surely more to come, as the night is young

I am at American Airlines Arena during the media check-in for the Playboy party. Right now there are fireworks going off over Biscayne Bay. There are spotlights all around the arena, cars are pulling up and people are getting out. We are expecting a long list of athletes and celebrities tonight at this party.

MIAMI BEACH - Two of the most important Colts came out of the University of Iowa.

Bob Sanders, the Colts free safety and apparently the 5-8 tube of glue keeping Indy together, was drafted out of Iowa in 2004. Tight end Dallas Clark was taken in the first round by Indy in 2003.

Their coach at Iowa was Kirk Ferentz who we spoke with Friday about both players.

"You have to give Indianapolis a lot of credit," said Ferentz. "Their organziation - Bill Polian and Tony Dungy - first identified Dallas as a guy that would fit their offense and fit the way they like to do things.

"I'll never forget we had a teleconference about five or six days before the (2003) draft and they had a very thorough set of questions they wanted to get answered about Dallas so obviously he was one of the guys they targeted. But I'll never forget at the end of the conversation, Bill Polian said, 'Hey, tell me about No. 33.' That was Bob's number. I said, 'You'll have to wait a yea on him.' We had the same meeting a year later before the draft about Bob."

"These two guys really energized our football team from 2000 to 2003. They affected their teammates, affected the crowd and were two of the reasons we were able to get this thing turned around."

Sanders went to Iowa after getting a recommendation from a man named Joe Moore. He could get no better reference.

"Joe Moore was my high school coach (at Upper St. Clair High School in Pennsylvania). I remember they fired a very good man named Phil Merritt before Joe got the job and I wanted to hate the guy but I ended up loving playing for him. About seven years later I had a chance to grad assist with him at the University of Pittsburgh. He became one of my best friends. Outside of my parents he was my best mentor and affected my life as much as anyone that wasn't a family member."

Moore was a celebrated offensive line coach at Notre Dame under Lou Holtz. When Bob Davie took over the Irish, he fired Moore who, in turn, filed and won an age discrimination suit against Notre Dame and Davie. He died of lung cancer in 2003.

"As a retirement job, Joe worked at Erie Prep and was a top assistant helping out and I remember him saying to me, 'I don't know if Bob can ever play safety because he's so straight ahead but I know this. He'll make your team tougher and he'll make your special teams a lot better," Ferentz recalled.

"After about seven games into his first year we were really soft on defense and didn't have the right mentality," he continued. "We just decided to play (Sanders) knowing it would limit what we could do schematically but we just needed to do something to change the tempo of our defense.

"I don't think it was a coincidence but we went in and played Wisconsin and lost 13-7. The year before we gave up 40 and it could have been 70. Immediately our tempo was better. Then we went to Penn State and won up there then came back and played Northwestern which was 12th in the country and we beat them. We were beating Minnesota in our last game and Bob got hurt and we gave up a couple of deep balls and lost.

"If I had to pick one guy as being a true impact player in my years here, he would be the guy," Ferentz testified.

"He only has one speed," Ferentz concluded. "One other story, I remember when he was in high school, he was in the Big 33 game, a prestigious all star game. Well, Bob came in and nailed the quarterback during practice. Everybody wanted to know what he was doing but that's just the way he is. We had a good running back named Fred Russell and Bob broke his shoulder in a workout doing blitz pickup. When safeties do that, they're supposed to come a little slower. Well, Bob only has one speed and that's how he does it. He's not trying to be a (bad guy), that's just the way he is."

We are at the Maxim party at the Sagamore Hotel and it is absolute chaos outside. Fans are lined up trying to get peeks at all the stars. It is a media circus: paparazzi, cameras everywhere.

I got a chance to talk with Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, who was impressed with my football knowledge, I might add Tony just got into Miami and is out for his first night. He will not be going to the game because he is flying to Hawaii for the Pro Bowl.

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Tony said he is not sure who the next Cowboys coach will be. He also said he learned a lot of things this season -- little things that he will carry with him.

Romo's Super Bowl pick: The Colts, being a big Peyton Manning fan and all.

We have also seen Tom Brady, Alex Rodriguez and Chris Isaak.

Once again, it is hot as hell here.

A little later, Steve-O made his way down the carpet. I made fun of his lack of ability to ref the football yesterday. He wasn't even supposed to be here, he just walked in off the street. He said now he is going to break something.

Terry Crews was here. I asked him what he has been up to in the few hours we haven't seen each other. He joked around about flags and how he keeps getting free stuff. I asked him what the coolest thing was he got and he said definitely the PS3 with his name engraved on it because "even if anyone steals it, it is still mine."

I also ran into Craig Ferguson. He is really pulling for the Colts so "Peyton can get his little ring." His show is on the road, and he is doing a live show Sunday. He said there would be a ton of guests on the show like Billy Bob Thornton and Mike Dikta.

Katie Joel, wife of Billy (who is performing the National Anthem for the game) made an appearance. I asked her, what do you know about football? Her reply: "Absolutely nothing." Hey, at least she is honest.

And of course there was Shemar Moore, from the TV show Criminal Minds. He likes to give kisses on the cheek (A LOT). He took the microphone and did the interview himself. It was the easiest interview I have done all week.

P.S. It is still hot in here.

About 45 min later...

Donovan McNabb walked in with his full entourage.

Surprise, surprise K-Fed = no interview.

Brooke Hogan and CariDee from Next Top Model is here. Also, Dhani Jones showed up. He was laughing at how hot it is. He said he was going to chew on some ice to cool down. Jones is rooting for the Colts his prediction is 40-30.

Former Laker and Best Damn Sports Show Period host John Salley arrived. He said everyone should leave Peyton alone. But his heart is torn between the teams. He also tried to say Miami and New Orleans are the only places to have the Super Bowl. Then he added San Diego. Oh yeah and Detroit! Ha.. make up your mind!!!

Fergie. Fergalicious is here. Said she is rooting for the Colts. She had a great time performing the other night. Says she still gets nervous when performing by herself. After the Super Bowl, her schedule is packed. She will be in Vegas for the NBA All-Star Game. (meanwhile, people are making out on the carpet. Gross).

Perez Hilton, aka gossip gangsta blogger is here. Said he is pulling for the Bears because Oprah lives in Chicago. I asked him if he met anyone totally cool this week: Andy Roddick was the response. As he said that, I saw Andy's head pop out from the entrance to the party. Sneaky sneaky!

Cal Ripken Jr. just walked in. He is not doing interviews, but he is here.

OMG. I got Terrell Owens. T.O. is rooting for the Bears. His agent, Drew Rosenhaus, has guys on the Bears and Owens said they are like a team and close to him. His prediction: 21-18. Like Romo, I asked him about getting a new coach. He said hopefully in a few weeks they will find out. I told him I spoke with Romo, and Tony told me what he had learned this season. I asked T.O. what did he think Tony learned and his reply: What Tony learned is every play counts and that will be important. I also asked him if Marvin Harrison will get a TD in the game. And Owens said, Yeah Marvin is going to do what he needs to do. P.S. Looking sharp, rockin' the blazer.

Michael Strahan walked in with his "girlfriend." Asked him if Super Bowl week was treating him well, and he said he was a little sleep deprived (so that means a good week). He said he has never been disappointed with a Maxim party in the past (can't wait).

Also, Jim Leyritz, the retired Yankee, World Series hero was here.

Nick Lachey and Vanessa Minillo walked in and right through the carpet. Nice to see ya'll, too.

Inside... honestly the party is gorgeous. I ran into friends outside and we all went back into the party together. A ton of people and music, flashing lights, drinks and definitely a gorgeous night on South Beach. Cheers!

"Ten to fifteen more minutes."

"He's coming in twenty minutes."

"Almost here...just hang in there."

Here I am, at the Super Bowl in one of the most amazing cities in the country. Its a beautiful day. I'm standing with my feet in the sand next to a half a million dollar glass house. And I'm waiting on Kevin Federline.

K-FED
FED-EX
PAPPA-ZOW
Mr. Britney Spears-formerly known as

The man has a lot of different names and apparently that makes him a celebrity. All I can say is that when he finally did arrive (with full entourage in tow) he didn't want to do any interviews. He actually looked annoyed that there were people with cameras waiting for him at the door.

A reporter from a local station down here in Miami was standing next to me. When K-Fed exited after five seconds of standing in the doorway to light a cigarette and walk around to the other door, we both looked at each other and laughed. Not because there was anything funny. More because we couldn't believe we were playing this game with Britney's babies daddy. Seriously?

So K-Fed went out the door, came in through another entrance and began to walk around. He let his bodyguards (if that is what they are) do all the talking and shoving. Literally a camera man got a hand put in his lens and was told to stop filming. He wasn't too happy when that occurred.

So K-Fed did his thing. At first people tried to follow, take pictures, ask questions. (Just so you know, I stayed in the back. I just can't chase a guy like this down.. at the same time here I am writing about him. Hypocrite?) Then he went upstairs and no one was allowed to follow.

The crazy thing about all of this is I passed the guy yesterday TWICE and not one single person noticed who he was. How the world can change in a day.

Ran into Alex Smith again, we hugged and said hey. He was still happy about his big win at the Madden Party last night.

Stacy Keibler was there as well. Another tall blonde!! Between her and Brooke Hogan, yours truly is a shrimp. I fully blame my parents for that one. She said she's pulling for the Colts.

I wonder who K-Fed wants to win? Guess we'll never know.

So we finally got to see the Sprint Style Villa up close and personal. It is a huge glass house that was set up directly on the beach at the corner of 8th and Ocean a notorious Miami hot spot. As great as the weather has been in Miami so far it is hot as hell today!

The Villa is crawling with celebrities and former/current NFL stars.
First up was Former NFL player and current actor Terry Crews.

He was in high-spirits being in Miami even though he attended Shaq's party last night. Crews was pretty sure he was still in recovery from the party and I'm sure this weather wasn't helping out his cause. He is in Miami with his brother just trying to enjoy the atmosphere that the Super Bowl has created in Miami.

Next up was a shockingly tall Brooke Hogan. While Brooke might be most famous for being the daughter of the Hulkster himself she is carving out a space in the music world for herself. Ms. Hogan was so tall I had to stand on my tippy-toes just to get an interview with her.

She is hanging out around all the festivities as a guest of Sirius satellite radio. While football is not exactly her cup of tea, Miami is practically her backyard so getting caught up in the environment has been an easy adjustment.

Next up was Donald Driver of the Green Bay Packers. Now Mr. Driver was in an exceptionally good mood as the news of Brett Favre's return had found him earlier than the rest of the media. Favre called Driver himself this morning and said he wanted to be the first to tell him that he would be returning for another year.

He was overwhelmed with excitement once he heard the message and was in high spirits that the phone call just goes to show how close of a relationship they truly have. Driver noted, "Next season we are not going to leave our dirty laundry for anyone else. We are going to take care of our business on the field."

The excitement for Driver could not have come on a better day as he is celebrating his birthday, which caused for an impromptu rendition of Happy Birthday from myself (I probably should have spared him the off-key notes).

He is heading back home tonight to be with his family so that they can celebrate his birthday.

When asked for a victor in the Super Bowl he tried to remain as PC as possible and avoid any straight answers. But I smooth talked him into telling me that he's rooting for the NFC despite his hate for the Bears, HOWEVER, deep down he thinks the Colts are going to pull this one out.

Stay tuned, K-Fed is on the way, help us all!

MIAMI BEACH - News is flying down here...Packers quarterback Brett Favre is going to toddle out onto the field again in 2007 for Green Bay. Great news for everyone not named Aaron Rodgers, the Packers backup quarterback.

Meanwhile, the Giants and Dolphins officially drew short straw and will play in London October 28. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell made the announcement today. Tom Coughlin pulled the covers back up over his head.

NFL owners voted in October to play up to two games outside of the United States every year for the next five years, with the series kicking off with a single game in 2007. London was named last month as the site of that game, with the new Wembley – due to open later this year – now confirmed as the venue.

Both teams will have a week off following the game.

Goodell just finished a lengthy press conference that touched on several topics of importance. The guy is good at his job.

We'll get some of the highlights of his talk up later today.

MIAMI BEACH - It's a busy final day of access here as the game (mercifully) draws closer.

Bears coach Lovie Smith spoke at 8:45 and Tony Dungy followed him at 9 to put on a wrap on their official media responsibilities for the week.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has a press conference at 11:30 we'll jump in on. He also will be in on a Pro Football Writers of America meeting at 10 a.m.

This blog also just finished talking with Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz who coached both Bob Sanders and Dallas Clark. We'll get on that as well as a number of other items today.

T

Boys and their Madden. It's serious stuff. Tonight was the EA Sports Madden Bowl Party. Chad Johnson, Alex Smith (Bucs), Alex Smith (49ers), Willis McGahee, Clinton Portis, and Carson Palmer were players in the one night tournament. Basically the party is set up with a gaming station in the middle. Each player is assigned a spot, he plays against another guy, the one who wins moves on. Three rounds-one winner.

Ocho Cinco gives Gregg a shout out

HIGHLIGHTS-
Dan Marino. Yes, THE Dan Marino was my first interview of the night. Not too bad huh? The guy was incredibly nice (considering he had a camera in his face every second). I asked him how good he is at playing video games..he laughed and said his kids are really good at playing .. him? Not so much. His advice to the guys down here for the Super Bowl? Remember its business, they are here to take care of business and need to stay focused on what is at hand. Marino's prediction? Colts.

Next I spoke with the defending Madden Champ-Alex Smith. The man was ready to defend his title. Super nice guy, having a great time this week and just enjoying hanging out with all of his friends. Oh and he wears the invisiline too!! (Remember I told you Jerry Porter sports it too). He claims because he didn't wear his retainer he has to wear it now. See kids, it pays to wear the retainer!!

KNOCKED OUT AFTER ROUND 1: PORTIS, PALMER

As we moved through the party we came upon the one, the only, the Mr. Chad Johnson. Now not many people can say they've interviewed Ocho Cinco. However, an even smaller amount can actually say they've been interviewed BY Chad. Well, the microphone got turned around and I got asked the questions. Haha... it was really fun and he is such a character. Always entertaining and I can honestly say, cool guy. Hey Gregg... be on the look out for a special message too!

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Willis McGahee was there. We spoke about the Madden game, the Super Bowl, the Colts. Everything was going so well. We were really building a solid friendship. Then I brought up FSU and it all went downhill from there. See, McGahee gave FSU's defense hell for years. The entire stadium would shiver when McGahee got the ball because you just knew, you just knew that the guy was going to make stuff happen. He said "Hey, I'm 4-0 against FSU." I replied "You are sooo right. High five!" Friendship back on.

KNOCKED OUT AFTER ROUND 2: MCGAHEE, SMITH (49ERS)

Marcellus Wiley , a fellow NBC Sports blogger, was there. This is a guy who can talk about anything and put sentences together too! Haha.. seriously, check out his blog. Columbia Grad. Insider to the NFL. And a personality to boot.

Down to the final two... it was Chad Johnson and Alex Smith. At halftime, the game was tied. However in the second half, Johnson had a few fumbles and Smith capitalized.

So congrats to Alex Smith-two time Madden Bowl Champion. He's already claiming he's going for the three-peat. Until then, he's celebrating victory in SoBe.

I am watching a very entertaining regular-season NBA game right now.

That's a sentence I probably could have gone at least ten years without writing. But not any more. And the reason? Imports.

I'm watching the San Antonio Spurs at the Phoenix Suns and sure, these are two of the three best teams in the NBA (along with Dallas), but here's what matters. Of the ten men currently on the court, five of the seven best were not born and raised in the fifty states:

SUNS:

Steve Nash........................Canada
Boris Diaw.........................France
Leandro Barbosa...............Brazil
Raja Bell.............................Virgin Islands

SPURS:

Tim Duncan........................Virgin Islands
Manu Ginobili......................Argentina
Tony Parker.......................France

Outside of those seven, the only other two players at that skill level are Sun All-Stars Shawn Marion and Amare Stoudemire. It's not just that these foreign-born players are good (or that my epiphany is by no means an earth-shattering one here in 2007) but it's how artistically they play. How much fun they are to watch.

Ginobili goes behind his back on the dribble a la Walt Frazier, and with a purpose. That's how Manu is able to protect the ball as he drives down the lane. Barbosa simply outruns defenders to the basket, with or without the ball in his hands. He reminds me of that scene in Invincible in which Marky Mark is running downfield on kickoffs trying to beat his two teammates to the tackling dummy. Duncan and Nash are what they are--two-time NBA MVPS.

The Dream Team days are long gone, as anyone who's tuned in to the last few Olympics already knew. But what continues to impress me is how much more I enjoy watching foreign-born players. They pass better. They often shoot better. They're not SportsCenter-primed, dunk-you-very-much types, but as TNT's Doug Collins just remarked, they've "changed the NBA culture".

And for the better.

Tonight TNT, intentionally or not, gave hoops fans a choice between the NBA (National Basketball Association) and the IBA (International Basketball Association). The NBA was the lead game of its doubleheader, LeBron at Dwyane or Cleveland at Miami). The IBA was San Antonio at Phoenix. For me it's no contest as to which style of basketball I'd prefer to watch or which style is actually plain better basketball.

Honestly, if you could coach an All-Star team of only foreign-born players or U.S. players, would there be any doubt whom you'd choose? A quick look at a 10-man non-American roster:

Nash, G
Parker, G
Barbosa, G
Ginobili, F
Dirk Nowitzki, F
Duncan, C
Yao Ming, C
Pao Gasol, F
Andrei Kirilenko, F
Mehmet Okur, F/C

Honestly, what American-born ten is going to beat them? You can hit me with Kobe, LeBron, Dwyane, Carmelo and The Answer, but here's the question: Who's going to pass the ball. All the supposedly "best" American-born players are shooters, scorers, one-on-one guys.

It's a five-man game. It's about smart passing, not just dunking.

Update: As I write this Magic Johnson is on TNT's halftime show. Magic is an American-born Hall of Famer, of course, whose game was much more akin to the current foreign-born player's than it is to that of the Americans'. And so it's not surprising that Magic is saying, "I love to watch this kind of basketball...Thank God for the Phoenix Suns, and thank God for the San Antonio Spurs."

And I very strongly doubt that the U.S. will win a gold medal at the Olympics until its players learn to play team hoop and to shoot better (Is it any coincidence that Okur and Nowitzki, who are both around seven-feet tall, have deadly aim from beyond the arc?). How many American-born seven-footers do?

Update No. 2: And as I write that, TNT shows a clip of Dwyane Wade's pivotal go-ahead bucket in Miami's win. Wade's a fantastic offensive force, no doubt, but on this play the Heat's other four players simply clear out and Wade takes the ball at the top of the key. Two Cavs come out to defend him and Wade blows by them. It's all very Michael Jordan of him and he scored and got the foul (Has anyone since Jordan been a bigger referees' pet?), but that's not the kind of hoop I want to see play after play.

When arguably the greatest point guard who ever played the game (Magic) says, "Thank God for the Phoenix Suns and the San Antonio Spurs", that's all I need to hear.

If you just thought the world couldn't get any more cruel, read this:

Kenny Hasbrouck scored with 0.5 seconds left as Iona fell to 0-22 with a 61-60 loss at Siena.

There's snake-bitten and then there's Snakes-on-a-Plane -bitten. How else can you describe it? In the last two weeks the Gaels have lost two games in overtime and two by one point. In three of those four games they were leading with less than five seconds to play. Tonight's loss at Siena, if you read the game recap, sounds as if it may have been the cruelest (from the Siena athletic web site):

Iona (0-22/0-12) took its first lead of the second half, 60-59, with 25 seconds remaining on a short jumper by Mike Harris. On the ensuing possession, (Ronald) Moore drove to the basket and had his runner blocked by Justin Marshall. Tay Fisher chased down the rebound for the Saints and passed the ball to David Ryan for an open 3-pointer in the corner. Ryan was short with his attempt but corralled the rebound with four seconds left and, while falling out of bounds, found (Kenny) Hasbrouck for a 5-foot bank shot.

Poor Iona. As one of my friends wrote, "I want to bake cookies for them."

Consider this: The Gaels had already been playing much of the season without three starters (point guard Kyle Camper and forwards Dexter Gray and Gary Springer, all juniors). Then, due to injuries suffered in Monday night's loss to Canisius, Iona was tonight without their starting forwards: leading scorer and rebounder Anthony Bruin, a senior, and freshman forward Alejo Rodriguez, their No. 2 rebound man.

So who starterd? Three freshman guards, a skinny freshman forward (Kevin Hassett) and 7'0" Penn State transfer John Kelly (slow but a terrific passer). This was, at best, what should be Iona's second five this season. And yet on the road, down 12 points at halftime, they clawed back. Freshman Mike Harris hit a jumper with 0:25 left to give Iona its first lead of the second half, 60-59.

And then Jeff Ruland's team got kicked in the groin yet again.

There are about 336 teams in Division I hoops but the only one I remotely care about is Iona. Another friend (look at me with two friends!) wrote to say that in a way this winning streak is the best thing that could have happened to Iona. She said that she'd never heard of Iona before this streak, and now they've become a cause celebre. I don't know if the Gaels see it that way, but I do know that they are not a terrible team.

This is a program that led LSU 37-32 at the half of their NCAA tournament first-round game last March. Same coach, but many new players. And a few key injuries/ineligibilites. You ever hear those coaches talk about how they don't know how they would have made it through the season if (INSERT PLAYER'S NAME) had gone down with an injury.

Well, the answer is they would have been Iona. Because that's exactly what has befallen Jeff Ruland this season. I hope I am there when Iona finally wins--and they will. In the meantime you should--we all should--contact Iona's athletic department and deluge them with orders for Iona gear. A T-shirt. A sweatshirt. Anything.

Anyone can wear a Notre Dame T-shirt (and by the way, Irish fans, this Iona hoops teams is a preview in some ways of what you'll be seeing on the gridiron next fall: a grossly inexperienced team that tries hard but will come up short time and time again). I used to be one of those people. No more. Tomorrow, I'm phoning Iona and ordering up some Gael gear. And you should, too.

The Motorola Football Field became a dance floor tonight as fans lined up to dance their way to two free Super Bowl Tickets. You'll have to check out the footage to understand, but seriously these people really really wanted these tickets.

The judges: not as intimidating as Simon Cowell BUT defintiely men worthy of saying yay or nay when it comes to judging the skills. Steven Jackson, DeAngelo Hall and of course the king of the endzone dance-Chad Johnson.

Some funny quotes from the night:
Chad Johnson: "If you're gonna celebrate, please do not be intoxicated."
Chad Johnson: "You gotta be original!"
DeAngelo Hall: "It's like American Idol-the contestant that knows they can't sing."
Chad Johnson: "Kid-N-Play's been done already man. Deion Branch did that in the play-offs."

Funny enough, if someone came out and in their routine did a move that has already been done.. Johnson would know. He called out everyone. Truly an expert when it comes to the endzone.

Steven Jackson said he's rooting for the Bears while DeAngelo Hall is pulling for the Colts saying "Peyton man you are my boy!!"

The winner of the night: Big Pappa Pump. He stole the show. He's got moves you've never seen before!! Stay tuned!

The rest of the Celeb Beach Bowl Bash was a ton of fun and of course a little crazy. Halftime was performed by New Found Glory. They were stoked to be back in their home of South Florida and performing for a hometown crowd.

Steve-O was hammered. Haha ... he had a hard time making some of the proper ref calls. Michael Smith had to try and keep the game under control. Ran into Michael after the game at the restaurant and he was laughing saying he had just been asked to ref the day before. He said it was the hardest thing to do!

Carrie D of America's Next Top Model said she had a great time. Gotta give the girl credit for playing against the boys. Steve Young said the advice he would give to the guys who are playing this weekend is to concentrate on the game. Leave the celebrating for next week.

Coach Matt Leinart said there were some faulty calls out there. At first I thought he was seriously mad so I said: "But you did at least have some fun right?" He starts cracking up, says he was joking around and that he had a really good time.

The biggest ham on the field was definitely Florida Marlins pitcher Dontrelle Willis. He was cracking jokes, nicknaming people and pulling some pretty funny pranks on the field. Even though his team didn't win, it was a great game of fun on the beach.

The celebrity football game, being played on the beach, has reached the halfway point. Former NFL star Warren Moon is behind center for one of the two squads. Moon has promised that his side is a second-half team and that they are looking to make a comeback to take home the victory.

The game is loaded with celebrities, current and former NFL stars. Among the list of players competing in the game are; Florida Marlins pitcher Dontrelle Willis, former NFL wide receivers Andre Rison and Tim Brown, current Seahawks receiver Deion Branch, former NFL stars Doug Flutie, Steve Young, and Ickey Woods are playing as well. Michael Clark Duncan is taking up an immense amount of space on the playing field while MTV personality Steve-O is up to his usual antics on the field.

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I had the opportunity to share a drink with Steve-O and boy was that an experience.

Current Cardinals QB Matt Leinart is holding the clipboard while coaching on the sidelines. Speaking of good-looking people there are models everywhere I seem to turn.

The real party has arrived.

Ladies and gentlemen -- Kevin Federline is on South Beach. I just passed him walking down Motorola Mile and picked him out because of his bling.

K-Fed won't be performing during the Super Bowl's halftime show, but keep an eye out for the debut of his Super Bowl ad.

FORT LAUDERDALE - Just talked to Steve Christie, former Bills kicker who booted in both of the Buffalo Super Bowls against the Cowboys.

I asked him how different he felt the Super Bowl is now from a dozen years ago and he said that the volume of outlets covering the game makes it so far ahead of where it was when he was with the Bills.

Christie, the father of four girls, works now on Canadian teleivision on a weekly NFL show called The Score. He has homes in St. Petersburg, Florida, Ellicottville, New York and up on a lake in Canada.

We just finished at the Tony Dungy press conference.

He acknowledged that, on Saturday, his Colts would uproot from their Fort Lauderdale hotel and relocate away from their families to get their minds right.

It's 79 degrees and windy down here.

Wind chill? 77.

Let me fill you in on a few things. At an event like the "Moves Magazine Super Bowl Gala Hosted By Reggie Bush and NFL Legend Jim Brown" there are a few things you should know.

First that is the longest title ever for a party.
There is a red carpet. [Obviously needed to show importance of event.]
There is a hanging backdrop with sponsors and logos listed. [A simple way of thanking all of those who willingly spent gobs of money on the occassion.]
There is a velvet rope to separate the papparazzi and the celebs. [Duh.]
There is a walkway exclusively for the guests. [A given...what party wouldn't have a VIP entrance?]
There is a grazing area for those hoping to get into the party. [AKA Normal people looking to be able to get at least in the same room with famous athletes so that they then can go back and brag about how they danced all night long next to so-and-so. Whatever, you know you've done it.]

There is a holding pen for those who are desperate enough to wait a few hours until the bouncer deems them worthy enough to get in.

What there is NOT is a person telling you just who it is walking down the exclusive walkway onto the red carpet to stand in front of the sponsor backdrop. For about two hours, all you could hear among the people covering the event was "Do you know who that is?" "Who's that?" "He did what? Played for who?" Personally, I found that funny. Seeing as how we are the 'media' and all.

Ok, so the list of people was pretty good. Richard Dent from the 1985 Bears was extremely nice and spoke with just about everyone. (He complimented me on my eyes so of course I will only write good things about him).

Jerry Porter and I high fived after I asked if he was wearing invisline. It's the clear thing you place on your teeth that straightens them out. His teeth looked fine to me but he is going to stick it out until he gets to stop wearing it in April...so be looking for a new straight and beautiful smile next time you see Mr. Porter!

Reggie Bush was the man of the party and handled himself so well considering the poor guy was being pulled from every direction. This was the second time I've interviewed Reggie and he really is a class act who carrys himself in a very assured yet calm and approachable way. He told me he was so glad to be a part of the Saints team and that things work out in mysterious ways (meaning he almost wound up in Houston). He also wears the most insane watch ever. If there is ever a shortage of diamonds in this country, that's because Reggie is wearing them on his wrist. It has some like six different time zones. We went through the zones and counted all the places he's actually been to. That would be two, maybe three. Haha.. he's got time to add to the list.

Erik Dickerson and Marcus Allen arrived together. They were having a good time just hanging out making their way back into the club. They both tried to say they aren't big partiers but I get them to laugh and told Mr. Dickerson I knew he would be dancing the second he walked in the door.

Braylon Edwards...such a nice guy. Seriously, he talked and talked and was sincerely having a good time. Plus he got extra style points for rocking the blazer jacket, shirt, jeans, and glasses look. (Guys, note to self: this is a solid look. Always works. Try it out sometime).

Alex Smith has longer eyelashes then me. Seriously.

Ray Lewis was nice enough to stop and talk to me (I'm not sure he stopped for anyone else). He didn't have a prediction on the final score of the game, just is hoping for a good one.

Other people who arrived and zipped right in were Michael Strahan, John Elway, Marvin Harrison, and Star Jones. Yes, I said Star Jones.

Alright, it's really really late which is cool if you are out on South Beach. Not so cool if you are in the lobby of your hotel drinking Gatorade (lemon lime - its the only way to go) listening to an ipod in your pjs. See you tomorrow!